Courtesy of Virat Kohli's steady half-century, Team India managed to post a formidable 181/7 in the second Super 4 match of the Asia Cup 2022 against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, September 4.
After being asked to bat first by Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, the Indian openers got their side off to a flying start. KL Rahul, who usually takes time to get set before going for his shots, altered his approach. He looked to be in an attacking mindset right from the onset, which bode well for India.
Rohit Sharma (28 off 16 balls) and Rahul (28 off 20 balls) struck some fierce strokes and helped their side accumulate 62 runs in the powerplay. However, the duo could not convert their starts as they perished while looking to accelerate further.
The middle order failed to keep the momentum going as everyone except Kohli failed to stay at the crease for a substantial amount of time. Even the former Indian captain wasn't at his most fluent and struggled to find the gaps or time the ball perfectly.
With wickets falling at regular intervals at the other end, Kohli (60 off 44) anchored the innings to make sure his side eventually reached a decent total of 181/7.
The former Indian batter seemed to get better in the latter part of his innings and brought up his second consecutive half-century of the tournament with a rasping hit over the leg side. Deepak Hooda (16 off 14) chipped in with a useful knock in the death overs.
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (eight not out off two) smacked two boundaries off the last two deliveries to give the innings a strong finish.
Indian cricket fans were elated to witness Kohli back among the runs, even though he wasn't batting with the authority that he used to in his prime. They took to social media platforms to express their views on the knock in the form of intriguing memes.
Here is a collection of the best memes after the Indian innings:
Virat Kohli took a break from cricket before Asia Cup 2022
Having suffered a decline in form over the last year or so, Kohli was advised to take a break from international cricket by many experts, including former Team India coach Ravi Shastri.
The star batter was rested for India's recent white-ball tours of West Indies and Zimbabwe. It remains to be seen if Kohli can maintain his consistency for the remainder of the Asia Cup, with the T20 World Cup on the horizon.
Do you think Kohli is slowly getting back to his old self? Sound off in the comments section.
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