IND vs PAK 2022: “They did what MS Dhoni used to do” – Ajay Jadeja hails Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya for epic run chase against Pakistan in T20 World Cup

Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja praised Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya after their vital knocks helped the Men in Blue defeat Pakistan by four wickets in Melbourne on Sunday (October 23).

He said that, like former Indian captain MS Dhoni, the two batters took the game deep with their crucial partnership to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

The duo shared a match-winning 113-run stand for the fifth wicket to recover India from 31/4.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Jadeja said:

“They did what MS Dhoni used to do and took it deep. When he used to finish games, we all used to cherish them, but when he failed to deliver, our fun had ended.”

While Kohli slammed an unbeaten 82 off 53 balls to take India home, Hardik contributed 40 off 37 deliveries to keep the Men in Blue in the hunt.

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“Mental strength like MS Dhoni” – Ajay Jadeja hails Virat Kohli for self-belief

Jadeja also hailed the Delhi batter for his mental strength during the run chase against Pakistan. He labelled it as one of his best knocks after an unthinkable win.

“We used to talk about mental strength like MS Dhoni. He used to leave a lot of runs for the end overs and when he failed, others failed to do it. That was a period, but Kohli kept his belief and came back not out.”

He added:

“It is one of the best knocks of Virat Kohli because the match had slipped from their hands. He had the belief. It looked tough, but he needed one ball [to change things around].”

With 48 runs needed from the last three overs, Kohli slammed three boundaries against Shaheen Afridi in the 18th over.

The right-handed batter also hit a couple of sixes off the last two balls in the penultimate over bowled by Haris Rauf to reduce the equation to 16 off six deliveries. He smashed six off a no-ball in the 20th over to ensure India ended up on the winning side.

Speaking to Star Sports after the match, he shed light on their plans during the epic run chase:

“Hardik believed we can do it if we stayed till the end. When Shaheen bowled from the pavilion end, that's when we decided to take him down. Haris is their prime bowler, and I hit those two sixes. The calculation was simple. Nawaz had one over to bowl, so if I could take Haris down, they would panic.”

The Men in Blue will next be seen in action against the Netherlands in Sydney on Thursday (October 27).