#WT20 Top players of the day: Virat Kohli

There is always a sense of expectation when it comes to India vs Pakistan matches. With a record of not losing in a World Cup match and facing a must win situation to stay alive in the World T20, India had a lot on their plate. However, in the end, India were able to live up to the hype.

In the process, India by far had unearthed their most precious talent. Be it any situation, they had the Delhi-born batsman, Virat Kohli, who could deliver when they needed the most. For the second time in as many matches against Pakistan, it was on India's star batsman to bail his team out and chalk a win. And the talisman did not disappoint.

Kolhi's knock was a show of sensible aggression combined with intelligence. After seeing both the openers fall cheaply, Kohli had to build a partnership, curb his attacking style and unleash the fury towards the end. And he made no mistake. His unbeaten 55 came of just 37 balls and included seven boundaries and one six.

Kohli was a pleased man in the end. It was only fitting that Kohli, after reaching his 50, bowed down in the direction of where his idol Sachin Tendulkar was watching. And the Little Master must have been proud of the Indian vice-captain.

Kohli knew exactly what he had to do and where he had to play. With the ball holding off the surface, drives were not an option. He had to wait and push it towards third man or even flick towards square leg and rotated the strike with ease. In the end, the champion prevailed for his perseverance.

He was all smiles at the presentation and admitted to have not looked at the wicket till Ashwin bowled his first over. "It was a challenging wicket, that's what you want as a cricketer, new challenges to play. Last game I was very disappointed to have got out, that really hurt... even the 49 against Pakistan in Dhaka was really satisfying, that's what you need, a tough pitch a good bowling attack and you pulling your team out of trouble" he said.

While it was Gayle and Afridi who set it on fire in the earlier matches, it was Joe Root and Kohli joining the party, probably with a point to prove that class and young legs are not yet out completely in the shortest format of the game.

Brief Scores: Pakistan 118/5 in 18 overs (Shoaib Malik 26 (16), Ahmed Shehzad 25 (28), Ashish Nehra 1/20) lost to India (Virat Kohli 55* (37), Yuvraj Singh 24 (23), Mohammad Sami 2/17).