'If Dinesh Karthik or Hardik Pandya would’ve hit those sixes, I would’ve been hurt' - Haris Rauf opens up on Virat Kohli's sixes against him

Virat Kohli's consecutive sixes off Haris Rauf during India's 20-20 World Cup match against Pakistan are widely regarded as one of the most iconic moments in the game of cricket. During India's run chase, Kohli scored 82 not out from 53 balls and smashed two sixes in the 19th over against Rauf.

Advertisment

The straight hit, dubbed "arguably the greatest single T20 shot of all time" by fans, has captivated the attention of all. Rauf spoke about his bowling plans, execution, and Virat's unrivalled class a month later, recalling the iconic moment.

Rauf admitted that only Kohli could have wielded the willow in such a way against him. "The way he played in the World Cup, that is his class, we all know the types of shots he plays," he said.

"And the way he hit those sixes, I don’t think any other player can hit a shot like that off my bowling. If Dinesh Karthik or Hardik Pandya would’ve hit those sixes, I would’ve been hurting but those came off Kohli’s bat and he is a different class altogether," Rauf said while speaking to Cricwick.

Advertisment

"The idea was to bowl a slower one on that back-of-a-length zone since the boundary was larger on the square side. I had no idea that he can hit me down the ground off that length. So when he hit that shot off me, that’s his class. My plan and execution was fine but that shot was all class," he added.

It wasn’t an ideal start: Haris Rauf

Rauf also discussed Pakistan's World Cup campaign. He said, “It wasn’t an ideal start…losing the first two matches, it was upsetting. The dressing room’s morale was extremely down but the next day we had a meeting, we discussed our mistakes, devised a new plan, and had faith that we will play in the World Cup final. We got out of the dressing room with that belief and eventually, won the World Cup.”