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20-20 World Cup: Four heroic innings by Virat Kohli which ended in losing cause for India

Virat Kohli has played several knocks in the history of the 20-20 World Cup which ended up losing cause for India.

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Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli (Source: Twitter)

Virat Kohli is one of the most prolific batters in the history of T20Is. The star batter has taken the format by storm ever since his debut. And when the 20-20 World Cup arrives, Kohli brings his A game to the fore unleashing his beast mode on the opposition.

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The former Indian captain has taken his side home in a tricky chase on numerous occasions in the marquee tournament. However, there have been several occasions where Kohli’s heroics went in vain as India failed to win the match.

On that note, let’s take a look at the top four heroic knocks by Virat Kohli which couldn’t prove to be enough to take India to victory:

4. India vs Pakistan, 2021 20-20 World Cup

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India vs Pakistan India vs Pakistan (Source: Twitter)

Pakistan invited the star-studded Indian batting to bat first against their lethal pace attack. India got off to a miserable start as they were 31/3 inside the powerplay. Kohli, being the captain, took the onus upon himself to stabilize the Indian innings with his gritty knock of 57 off 49 deliveries. He guided India to a decent score of 151/7 after their allotted 20 overs.

However, the Pakistan opening duo of Mohmmad Rizwan and Babar Azam made a complete mockery of India’s total as they chased it down in 17.5 overs having all 10 wickets in hand. It was Pakistan’s first-ever victory over India in the history of World Cups and their stellar record came to an end in Kohli’s captaincy despite his valiant innings with the bat.

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3. India vs England, 2nd Semi Final, 2022 20-20 World Cup

India vs England India vs England (Source: Twitter)

England captain, Jos Buttler, asked India to bat first in the all-important knockout fixture. After India’s openers failed to give a fiery start, Kohli walked in to bat and kept the scoreboard moving with his occasional boundaries. Kohli’s brilliant knock of 50 from 40 balls and Hardik Pandya’s blistering 63 off 33 took India to a decent score of 168.

However, the total didn’t prove to be enough for England as their openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales annihilated the Indian bowling attack and chased down the target in just 16 overs.

2. India vs Sri Lanka, 2014 20-20 World Cup Final

Virat Kohli vs Sri Lanka 2014 Virat Kohli vs Sri Lanka 2014 (Source: Twitter)

Having won the ODI World Cup in 2011 and Champions Trophy 2013, the MS Dhoni-led Indian team were firm favourites to lift their third major trophy in the space of three years. Sri Lankan captain Lasith Malinga won the toss and elected to field first. The Indian batters struggled to cope with some tight bowling by Sri Lankan bowlers as they couldn’t get their innings going.

Kohli being the lone warrior in the innings, scored a magnificent 77 off 58 balls, as India could only manage to put 130 runs on the board after 20 overs. Sri Lanka chased down the target in 17.5 overs on the back of a brilliant half-century from Kumar Sangakkara, who scored 52 off 35 balls.

Sri Lanka won their second major title after the 1996 ODI World Cup and Kohli was awarded the prestigious ‘Player of the Tournament’ for scoring 319 runs.

1. India vs West Indies, 2016 20-20 World Cup, 2nd Semi Final

India vs West Indies India vs West Indies (Source: Twitter)

India, being the hosts of the tournament, went into the big game as favourites. West Indies captain, Darren Sammy won the toss and elected to field first. As India lost their first wicket on 62, all eyes were set on Virat Kohli as the crowd expected him to produce another masterclass batting display. He didn’t disappoint and rose to the occasion, scoring a sensational 89 off 47 balls, and, thereby taking India to a mammoth score of 192.

India started their defence in grand fashion as Jasprit Bumrah removed the dangerous Chris Gayle in the second over. However, Indian bowlers gave away the early advantage as they bowled two no balls on which they dismissed Lendl Simmons, allowing him to continue his breath-taking innings.

As a result, West Indies chased down the target in 19.4 overs with Simmons scoring an unbeaten 82 off 51 balls. Virat’s magnificent knock, once again, went in vain but he was awarded the ‘Player of the Tournament’ for the second consecutive time for scoring 273 runs in the tournament at an unbelievable average of 136 and a strike rate of 146.77.

Virat Kohli