Kohli played his 'best innings for India,' says Rohit after 4-wicket win over Pakistan

India captain Rohit Sharma heaped praise on Virat Kohli, saying he played "his best innings" for India after their four-wicket win over Pakistan on Sunday.

Kohli, the Player of the Match, remained unbeaten on 82 off 53 balls, where he struck four sixes and six fours He put up 113 runs with Hardik Pandya for the fifth wicket, which was the highest partnership for any wicket for India against Pakistan in T20Is.

Hardik scored a 37-ball 40 before getting out on the first ball of the last over when India needed 16.

After Ravichandran Ashwin hit the winning runs, the Indian dugout came running to Kohli in the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) field, including Rohit who lifted the former captain in air and twirled him like a child.

"I was in the dressing room. I don't have any words left. You got to expect something like this in a game like this. We wanted to stay in the game for as long as possible. That crucial partnership was the game-changing moment for us. The pitch had something in it. There was nice carry. Some swing and seam. Good to see from the bowling perspective. They had a good partnership (Iftikhar and Masood) after that. They batted well towards the end as well," Rohit said after India's win.

Adding further, Rohit said that Kohli and Hardik are experienced and they stayed calm till the end and helped India cross the line.

"But we knew we had to bat out of our skin to chase this. Those two guys (Kohli and Pandya) are experienced. Staying calm and taking the game deep was very critical. Good for our confidence. Always crucial to get off the mark like this. We were in no position to win this. The way we won that's more pleasing for us. Hats off to Virat for the way he batted, has to be the best innings he has played for India. I would like to thank everyone, it's wonderful to see. Their support for us is very, very crucial wherever we go," added Rohit.

https://twitter.com/imVkohli/status/1584170142254084098

Even Pakistan skipper Babar Azam hailed Kohli. "Our bowlers bowled really well. All credit to Kohli and Pandya. It wasn't easy with the new ball. We had partnerships after 10 overs. We had a chance. We tried to stick to our plans. But credit to Virat Kohli. In the middle we decided we wanted a wicket and held the spinner back. We had a lot of positives. The way Iftikhar played and the way Shan played," said Babar.

India's next game is on Thursday (Oct. 27) against Netherlands at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). On the same day, Pakistan are also in action as they are scheduled to lock horns with Zimbabwe at Perth Stadium.