October 13, 2021
Indian captain Virat Kohli won the ICC's "Greatest Moments" campaign, beating Carlos Brathwaite's "remember the name" effort.
The ICC had asked fans to vote which moment of the ICC they liked best and the poll ended on October 13, with Kohli's chase against Australia in 2016, when his sensational 82* off 51 balls saw India to victory in the most thrilling fashion.
Brathwaite's "Remember the Name" moment — one of the seminal stories in T20 history — made it a tough final, but Kohli eventually came through, winning 68% of the votes.
It was a masterclass in executing a chase from Kohli as India needed 161 against Australia in the group encounter. The hosts lost their openers, but Kohli got off to a flier with a flick of the wrist. "The bigger the occasion, the more Kohli wants to contribute," Nasser Hussain said from the commentary box after Kohli's arrival at the crease, and that is how it unfolded.
Kohli went about his business with vigilance to reach his fifty in 39 deliveries with India then requiring 45 runs in 21 balls. Kohli pressed the pedal immediately in the next over to take James Faulkner downtown for 19 runs, taking the required run-rate down to 10.
He toyed with the bowling and the field. He stepped out to fast bowlers, bludgeoned them with the pull, and dispatched them with the trademark Kohli cover drive with finesse.
In the 19th over, Kohli blazed four boundaries off Nathan Coulter-Nile's bowling to seal India's spot in the semi-finals. With style and grace, Kohli calculated the chase to perfection giving India a win by six wickets and five balls to spare.
Kohli's expressive celebration was telling of what the feat meant to him.
