T20 World Cup 2022: "Without Virat Kohli, they would not have been able to win this" - Salman Butt on India's last-ball win over Pakistan

Salman Butt feels that Pakistan's defeat to India in their T20 World Cup 2022 clash on Sunday, October 23, was solely due to Virat Kohli's spectacular batting performance.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt suggested that the Men in Blue would have ended up on the losing side had Kohli not contributed significantly with the bat.

He highlighted how the star batter had to deliver his best-ever T20I knock to help India clinch victory. The former Pakistan captain said:

"Without Virat Kohli, they would not have been able to win this. It took his best-ever knock to win the game for India. He deserves all the credit as he was simply outstanding. He is the kind of player who can single-handedly win matches, and he did the same against Pakistan."

Kohli showcased exemplary batsmanship in challenging conditions against a formidable bowling attack, remaining unbeaten on 82 off 53 balls to guide India to a famous win.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, the prolific run-scorer named his knock against Pakistan as his best-ever in T20Is. The Rohit Sharma-led side chased down a tricky target of 160 in a last-ball thriller, claiming a four-wicket win.

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"Many have targeted the umpires by saying that they made the call because Virat Kohli asked for it" - Salman Butt on the no-ball controversy

Butt further went on to say how certain fans have created a fake controversy regarding a couple of umpiring decisions from the India-Pakistan clash. He pointed out how many have slammed the officials for adjuging Mohammad Nawaz's high full-toss as a no-ball in the final over.

The 38-year-old spoke about how a lot of people in Pakistan feel that the no-ball was only given because Virat Kohli asked for it. Butt also stated that several fans have been upset about India running three runs off the subsequent free-hit delivery after Kohli was bowled.

He added:

"People have said a lot of things regarding the over-the-waist no-ball. Many have targeted the umpires by saying that they made the call because Virat Kohli asked for it. People have also said that the three runs off the free hit shouldn't have been counted as it was a dead ball after it hit the stumps."

Notably, as per the laws, the Indian batters were well within their right to run after Kohli was bowled, since it was a free-hit. The ball is not considered dead when it hits the stumps on a free-hit and it is still in play as the batter cannot be deemed out.