“I ran out of the dressing room”: R Ashwin reveals ‘Virat Kohli fear’ in Australia clash


Virat Kohli’s moment of dropping the catch gave a big shock to R Ashwin© AFP

The Indian cricket team emerged victorious against Australia in the first match of the Cricket World Cup 2023 on Sunday, with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul forming a brilliant partnership while chasing the target of 201 runs. However, if Virat Kohli had not missed the catch, things could have ended differently for the Indian team. Not only the fans but also his teammates know the importance of Kohli’s wicket very well. After India’s win was confirmed, Ravichandran Ashwin admitted that as soon as Kohli hit the ball in the air, he walked out of the dressing room out of fear that the talismanic batsman would get out cheaply.

India lost early wickets at the top, with the likes of Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer all out for ducks. If Mitchell Marsh had not dropped his catch, Kohli could have been out early.

“When I saw Virat Kohli’s ball going in the air, I ran out of the dressing room. I literally ran outside. I didn’t know what to do. I thought ‘when all this is over. ‘Wake me up’ “It was that kind of feeling,” Ashwin told Star Sports after India’s win.

“Look, I think we’ve found ourselves in that kind of situation in important big games. When you play Australia, it’s never a small game. You perform well, getting them out for 199. Let’s give. You think you’re going home and then the last thing you want is to get Virat Kohli out like that. As soon as the crowd erupted, I ran back to the dressing room. I was like a batsman throughout the innings. Standing in the same place. My legs are really hurting,” he said.

The lifeline helped Kohli put a total of 85 runs on the board before he was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood. But, both Kohli and Rahul had done a lot by then but the outcome of the match was decided.

“Kohli and KL Rahul put on a winning partnership of 165 runs to help India win by 6 wickets. Kohli was out for 85 runs, but when he returned to the pavilion, the job was complete. Rahul remained unbeaten on 97 runs. But India won with 52 balls to spare,” Ashwin added.

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