The International Cricket Council’s campaign to find the greatest moment in T20 World Cup history has culminated in India skipper Virat Kohli’s knock against Australia in the 2016 T20 World Cup being voted as the winner. It won against West Indies’ Carlos Brathwaite's 'Remember the name' effort, which won the men from the Caribbean their second World Cup title.
In a release, ICC said, “We asked you to choose between countless iconic moments from the six ICC Men’s T20 World Cups so far, and you've made your pick – Kohli's masterful chase against Australia in 2016 when his sensational 82* off 51 balls saw India to victory in the most thrilling fashion.”
“Brathwaite's 'Remember the Name' moment – one of the seminal stories in T20 history – made it a tough final, but Kohli eventually came through, winning 68 per cent of the votes,” it added.
Virat Kohli’s knock came in a group stage game when India needed 161 against Australia at PCA Stadium in Mohali. Almost a virtual quarterfinal with the winner moving into the semi-final as second-ranked from the group, the match held a lot of importance.
India were asked to chase 161 and lost both openers inside the powerplay. But Kohli never left the attack mode he was in even as others around him kept getting out. In the end, thanks to his 82 off 51 balls, in which he hit nine fours and two sixes, Inia managed to chase down the total in 19.1 overs.
The best phase in the game and Kohli’s innings were the last four overs with him having reached his fifty in 39 balls. Now India required 45 to win 21 balls and that’s when the beast mode of Kohli was activated. He hit James Faulkner downtown for 19 runs in the very next over and ten he hit four boundaries off Nathan Coulter-Nile's 19th over to make things more than easy for a solid win.