82* off 53 balls. A night that became history. On this day: Kohli’s MCG masterclass against Pakistan
On 23 October 2022, more than 90,000 fans packed the Melbourne Cricket Ground for India against Pakistan. What followed was the sort of finish that stays with you long after the last ball: India chasing 160, suddenly in trouble, and Virat Kohli refusing to let the game drift away.
Pakistan had posted 159 for eight, with Shan Masood making 52 and Iftikhar Ahmed adding 51. India’s reply began badly. KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were gone early, and when Axar Patel was run out, India were 31 for four. The chase looked steep; the MCG crowd could feel the pressure building.
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Kohli stayed calm. He and Hardik Pandya put together a 113-run partnership that pulled India back into the contest. Hardik’s 40 from 37 balls mattered, but the defining moments belonged to Kohli: 82 not out from 53 deliveries, with six fours and four sixes. He began carefully, then found the gears when India needed them most.
Against all odds. Against all expectations 🫡
#OTD in 2022, @imVkohli played that breathtaking 82* knock at a packed MCG to pull off one of the greatest chases in T20Is 📖
#TeamIndia https://t.co/ux9lh6FT5Q
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 23, 2026
The turning point came late. With India needing 28 from eight balls, Kohli took on Haris Rauf, launching two remarkable sixes in the 19th over—one straight back over the bowler, the other over long-on. Suddenly the equation was 16 from the final over, and belief had returned. The last over brought more drama: Hardik fell, Dinesh Karthik was stumped, a wide kept India alive, and Ravichandran Ashwin calmly lifted the winning run over mid-off. India finished on 160 for six, winning by four wickets off the final delivery.
Kohli was emotional afterwards and called it the best innings of his T20 international career. It was more than a brilliant score: it was composure under pressure, a partnership that kept hope alive, and a finish that turned a tense chase into a piece of cricketing history. On this day, the MCG belonged to Kohli.
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