It was a batting masterclass from Virat Kohli as he guided India to the semifinal of the 2016 T20 World Cup in Mohali.
It was the batting quality of the highest order as Virat Kohli snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to steer India to the semifinal of the 2016 T20 World Cup on this day against Australia.
The innings, even today, is widely regarded as one of the best international display of batting in the shortest format of the game. The match between India and Australia was significant for both the sides as it was a virtual quarterfinal - the losing team would be knocked out of the tournament. The context adds considerable weight to Virat's heroics with the bat on the night.
Batting first, Australia put on a competitive score of 160/6 on a two-paced pitch, even as the Aussies looked set to score a few more - courtesy a solid start from Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja.
In the chase, India faltered as Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were dismissed cheaply. Suresh Raina, the side's T20 specialist at the time, was also dismissed early as India stared at a defeat with only 49/3 in 7.5 overs. Virat Kohli was joined by Yuvraj Singh in the middle.
The duo added 45 runs for the fourth-wicket partnership to stabillize the Indian innings, and by the time captain MS Dhoni arrived, India needed 66 runs in 36 deliveries.
The duo added quick runs, snatching doubles throughout the initial few overs. However, the innings inevitably came at a stage where doubles simply weren't enough. In the final three overs, India required 39 to win.
It was then, when Virat Kohli shifted gears and produced one of the most dominating performances with the bat in T20Is. He smacked Australia's limited-overs specialist at the time, James Faulkner for two fours and a six in the 18th over of the innings, bringing down the equation to 20 runs from 12 deliveries.
He, then, proceeded to hit Nathan Coulter-Nile for four fours in five deliveries to crush the Australian hopes. Dhoni eventually finished the match with a boundary off the first delivery of the 20th over.
