India needed 5 off 4. Dinesh Karthik fell for 1. Then, , of all people, walked in. With 2 runs needed off 1 ball, Ashwin calmly pushed the final delivery to long-on and scampered the winning run.
In the end, the scoreboard read (20 overs) vs. Pakistan 159/8 (20 overs). But numbers will never capture the sheer, unrelenting drama of October 23, 2022.
The total seemed below par on a flat MCG wicket, but the pressure of chasing against Pakistan’s lethal pace attack—Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf—made it feel like 200. India’s chase would be anything but straightforward. India’s reply began in disaster. In the very first over, Shaheen Afridi —the same man who had wrecked India’s top order in 2021—dismissed skipper Rohit Sharma for a four-ball duck. The MCG erupted in green. india vs pakistan t20 world cup 2022 full match
Openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, the most prolific T20I pair in the world, started cautiously against the pace of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh. But once settled, they accelerated. Rizwan was the aggressor, flicking, cutting, and scooping with precision. Babar played second fiddle, holding the innings together.
When Rizwan fell for a well-made 43 off 42 balls, Shan Masood took over. The left-hander played a breathtaking cameo, smashing 38 off 28 balls, including two massive sixes off Arshdeep. Pakistan posted a formidable in their 20 overs. India needed 5 off 4
Now, 6 runs needed off 4 balls. Kohli was run out attempting a second run on the next ball—or so everyone thought. The third umpire ruled that the bowler had knocked the bails off before Kohli made his ground? No. Actually, it was a direct hit from the deep, but Kohli’s bat was in. Wait—replays showed he was short. Then confusion reigned. Eventually, Kohli was given out. But he had already done his job.
India, captained by Rohit Sharma, had its own scars—a 10-wicket drubbing at the hands of Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup was fresh in memory. This was the rematch. And the MCG, the spiritual home of Australian cricket, was packed to the rafters. Rohit Sharma won the toss and, in a decision that surprised many, opted to bowl first on a pitch that traditionally favored batting under lights. The move backfired initially. With 2 runs needed off 1 ball, Ashwin
From Kohli’s two sixes off Rauf to the overthrow chaos, from the no-ball to Ashwin’s calm finish, every ball was a story. For Indian fans, it was a night of ecstasy. For Pakistani fans, a lesson in how quickly a match—and history—can turn.