'People Kept Telling Me is That You Don't Know What You've Done': Kohli Recalls Herocis Against PAK at MCG

Team India geared up for their last groups-stage game, against Netherlands, on Diwali, ace Indian batter Virat Kohli recalled his heroics against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022. Exactly a year ago, the former Indian skipper lit up the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) with a ravishing 82 not out to hand India a memorable 4-wicket win.

Chasing 160, India had a horrible start as captain Rohit Sharma and his opening partner KL Rahul were back in the hut within the powerplay. It was Kohli who led the charge and sailed the Indian ship safely to the shore.

Speaking exclusively to Star Sports, Kohli spoke on how special the knock was against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup last year, emphasizing the joy and happiness he brought to millions of Indians.

Follow all the action from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 including the World Cup schedule, World Cup 2023 results, and ICC Cricket World Cup points table. Players are vying to top the World Cup 2023 Most Runs and World Cup 2023 Most Wickets charts. 

“I feel blessed. I feel very, very blessed. I don’t know what I have done to be here. But all I feel is gratitude and I feel very blessed. After this match, the messages I received, made me very emotional. Whatever happened on the ground had happened, you played. To a certain extent, you try to figure out the problems. But the ones who do not have any control over these things still have an equal amount of nervousness and anticipation, and for them to have this experience is more intense you know.

“Those feelings are very intense and special. So the messages I received that day, one constant thing that people kept telling me is that you don’t know what you’ve done. And I couldn’t understand it because I saw what the stadium atmosphere was like, but I didn’t see what the mood in the nation was,” Kohli told Star Sports.

“The next day it was Diwali but that also kicked in late after the game. So when I spoke to Anushka as well, the next day, she said the same thing. Everyone said you don’t know how much happiness you’ve given to everyone. Everyone’s just going crazy on Diwali and people are just so happy. Like everyone just said the same thing, like we got to experience so much happiness at the same time on a festival that’s so dear to everyone. It’s that combination that is very, very rare. You know, that comes by and for that, I felt so much gratitude. From 20-year-olds to 55, 60-year-olds sending me messages of the same emotion was something that I can never forget in my life. Never ever,” he added.

Though India was knocked out after losing to England by 10 wickets in the semi-finals, Kohli ended up as the highest scorer of the tournament with 296 runs in 6 games, averaging 98.67.

(Catch all the LIVE action from the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 –India vs Netherlands, November 12^th  2023, from 12:30 pm onwards, and Part 2 of ‘Believe: The Diwali Miracle’ ft. Virat Kohli (post game) Exclusively on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar)