Hardik Pandya was among the first to rush to the middle of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday night, seconds after R Ashwin brought up the winning run in a pulsating encounter against Pakistan. While Ashwin threw his arms aloft and celebrated the moment, Pandya and the others—KL Rahul, skipper Rohit Sharma and Axar Patel, notably—made a beeline towards the striker’s end, where Virat Kohli was on his haunches, punching the ground in delight after having shepherded India home in a stirring, near-impossible run chase.

A night to remember

Pandya had an excellent night in India’s opening T20 World Cup Super 12 game, backing up an incisive burst of three for 30 with a measured 40. If he didn’t get the accolades he deserved, like the admirable Arshdeep Singh didn’t either, it was entirely because they were eclipsed by the luminescence of Kohli (53-ball 82, 6x4, 4x6).