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Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan offered praise for Virat Kohli’s performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 final. Vaughan highlighted Kohli’s crucial role in the match, emphasizing that the Indian batter played an innings that was essential for his team’s success.
Throughout the tournament, Kohli had struggled to make an impact, but in the final against South Africa at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, he rose to the occasion. Despite entering the final with just 75 runs to his name in the tournament, Kohli delivered a resilient innings when it mattered most. Facing early setbacks, Kohli stabilized the innings and ensured he batted deep into the match.
Kohli’s approach was initially aggressive, marked by three boundaries in the first over, before transitioning to a more calculated strategy. His composed batting allowed his teammates the freedom to play aggressively around him, enabling India to set a formidable total of 176 runs.
Scoring 76 runs off 59 balls at a strike rate of approximately 130, Kohli’s innings included six fours and two sixes. His performance earned him the Player of the Match award as India secured their second T20 World Cup title with a 7-run victory.
Despite some criticism of Kohli’s innings pace, particularly its potential impact on the match’s outcome, Michael Vaughan defended Kohli’s approach. Vaughan underscored the necessity for Kohli to anchor the innings during a period of wickets falling, asserting that his steadiness was crucial when India’s total appeared in jeopardy.
Speaking on a podcast, Vaughan expressed his belief that Kohli played a vital role in the final, providing the stability India needed to build a competitive total.
“Yes, very good play. Nicely did Virat. He did. Virat played the innings his team needed on that day. They needed a little bit of a rock. Someone to hang in there. They were falling at the other end. It looked like at one stage they were going to get 150.”
He managed to hang in there and they got a decent score – Michael Vaughan on Virat Kohli’s innings in the final
Michael Vaughan continued to discuss Virat Kohli’s innings in the T20 World Cup 2024 final, emphasizing Kohli’s ability to endure and contribute significantly to India’s total. Vaughan also expressed admiration for the overall flow and intensity of the final match. He elaborated:
“And he managed to hang in there and they got a decent score. On that pitch with a bit of spin. It was never going to be easy. But I have to say it was probably the best game I saw in the whole tournament. Because it had quality. It had sheer quality ball,” he concluded.
