Virat Kohli, India’s captain, was elected Man of the Series in the 2016 ICC World T20 on this day five years ago.
Virat Kohli, the Indian captain, was named Man of the Series in the 2016 ICC World T20, and it will be five years on April 3, 2021. In most of the matches in that version of the World T20, Kohli almost single-handedly led India’s run chases. India’s captain at the time was MS Dhoni. Kohli’s Indian Premier League (IPL) club, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), posted a tweet on its official account commemorating the occasion: “On This Day in 2016, King Kohli was named the Player of the ICC World T20,” it read.
2⃣7⃣3⃣ runs at an average of 1️⃣3⃣6⃣.5⃣ 🤯#OnThisDay in 2⃣0️⃣1️⃣6⃣, King Kohli was named the Player of the the ICC World T20 👑 🙌#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/32W1rxYorW
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 3, 2021
The tweet drew a number of fascinating replies. Kohli’s dominance in that tournament was clearly shown by one of the users. “And the second-best batsman from India was MSD with 89 runs in the tournament,” the cricket fan tweeted.
Another user listed the 2014 World T20 tournament. Kohli was the player of the tournament even back then.
Despite India’s failure to reach the final in 2016, Kohli played a key role in the team’s run to the semi-finals.
He batted 273 times for a 136.50 average during the tournament. Kohli had three 50+ scores in India’s five matches – 55 against Pakistan, 82 against Australia, and 89 against the West Indies – and was undefeated on all three occasions.
The eventual winners, the West Indies, eliminated India in the semi-finals at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
Kohli’s innings were distinguished by the circumstances in which he scored those runs. Many of his big plays happened when the team needed him to win.
Despite scoring only 23 runs in India’s first match against New Zealand, he made up for it by remaining unbeaten on 55 against arch-rivals Pakistan on a tricky pitch at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
He scored 24 against Bangladesh in the next match, which was below par by his standards. He then went on to deliver two impressive back-to-back knocks.
Though his 82 in the do-or-die match against Australia ensured Team India’s place in the last four, his 89 in the semi-final was enough to set a daunting total of 192 for the West Indies to chase down.
However, India were let down by a poor bowling performance and the dew factor, with the Windies setting up a final date with England at Eden Gardens.