In a podcast for Chennai Super Kings, R Ashwin has recollected the moments when he walked in at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with India’s T20 World Cup match against Pakistan tensely poised in the last over and went on to hit the winning runs in the company of Virat Kohli. In a fixture that turned out to be an all-time T20 classic thanks to Kohli’s heroics, Ashwin had helped India cross the line off the last ball in a tense chase in 2022.
Speaking to Mike Hussey in the podcast “Mike Testing 123” on website, Ashwin recalled how Kohli appeared possessed when he walked into the middle with one ball left in the match. “(When I walked in) Virat was possessed. Like, I just looked him in the eye. And I asked him just one question. I said, is it like gripping? Because I wanted to go inside out, over cover or something. Because the field was in. The wicket’s good, it is in Australia. Going through the line is easier. Or I can just dink him over the head. And we can run a two or something. That’s all I wanted from him. And he was like, extra cover was actually a bit too much. I just wanted to dink him over there. Or just get bat on ball. The worst case was, at least get this to a super over and not get out,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin then elaborated his plan to hit the left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz over the crowded outside ring to seal the victory. “Virat was like, he’s bowling Ok. He’s just bowling, just darting it into the pitch. You can move away and hit him over extra cover. Or you can just stay in the line and hit him over mid-wicket. Or you can just go down the ground. I’m like, these are shots… If I was playing all these shots at will, I wouldn’t be batting at number 8. I just saw him and his eyes were still. And the only thing I heard was he was darting it in,” Ashwin added.
With two runs needed off one delivery, Nawaz would deliver a wide with Ashwin doing well to remain calm under pressure and let it go. “I said, ‘Ok, let me just step back and see if he darts it in’. And in case it just feels like it skipped my eye line, I’ll leave it. That was there. I wouldn’t say that it was completely instinctive. It was there in my head. But the moment I saw it skip my left eye, I was like, OK, that’s done,” Ashwin added.
Speaking about the atmosphere at the MCG Ashwin said he hadn’t seen a more silent atmosphere when he took strike. “So when I walked into bat, took guard. I haven’t seen a ground with that much silence. It was pin drop silence. I don’t think any Indian fan believed that I would get those two runs. It was one ball, two to get. And the moment I left that wide, right, I think people were confused. They didn’t know what to react or how to react. And then after a brief second, they were just celebrating. I just told myself, now I think even if I just slog it, it’s going to go somewhere. I might just get an inside edge because luck is with me. And I just went inside out. I just timed it pretty well, actually,” he said.
