(Reuters) – Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram suggested Virat Kohli could be from another planet after the Indian batsman’s superb half-century led them to a four-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan at the Twenty20 World Cup.
Man of the match Kohli went unbeaten 82 of 53 balls as India chased 160 at a packed Melbourne cricket ground on Sunday. He hit four sixes, including two shots in a row over the ropes in the penultimate over to put India back in the game.
“Aliens live among us, he’s one of the best I’ve seen among the modern greats,” Akram told Pakistani TV channel A Sports.
“Not just now, he’s been scoring for the last 15 years and he has the best chasing average.”
Kohli’s stunning blow comes amid a return to form after ending a three-year drought for an international scorer at the Asian Cup last month by scoring an unbeaten 122 in the shortest format of the game against Afghanistan.
Indian grandmaster Sachin Tendulkar said it must have been the best inning of Kohli’s career.
“It was a treat to watch you play, the backfoot six in the 19th against (Haris) Rauf over a long period was spectacular. Keep it up,” he tweeted.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among those who took to social media to praise Kohli, while former Pakistani players also joined in.
“What a cricket match we just watched and that guy Virat Kohli is absolutely a beast,” tweeted Pakistani batsman Shoaib Malik.
“You can’t compare his class to any other player in the world in white ball cricket. He can anchor, he can turn the shot, he can hit sixes and he knows how to close the game.”
As India celebrates the festival of Diwali, The Times of India newspaper said Kohli was “back as king” to light the World Cup with a “bang of an inning”.
India meets the Netherlands in the second game of Group 2 on Thursday.