Fans gloriously chant 'Chak de India' as Virat Kohli headlines last-ball triumph; WATCH

The Indian cricket team kicked off their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 campaign on Sunday with a nail-biting win over arch-rivals Pakistan. Virat Kohli provided a treat to the 90,000+ spectators present at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground with arguably his best T20I knock of all time. Chasing 160 runs, India lost four early wickets before Kohli and Hardik Pandya paved India’s way to a final ball, four-wicket victory.

The Indian squad rushed to the ground as soon as Ravichandran Ashwin hit the winning runs, as Kohli received hugs and love from his team members for his winning effort. At the same time, the MCG crowd was heard chanting ‘Chak de India’ and sending goosebumps to viewers witnessing India’s victory. A video clip, shot at the MCG with the crowd singing, quickly went viral on social media.

Watch: MCG crowd erupts with chants of ‘Chak de India’ after IND vs PAK

Virat Kohli paves India's path to victory over Pakistan

In the Group 2 match of the T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 stage, India lost opener KL Rahul in the 2nd over of the match, which brought Kohli out to the middle. This was followed by the dismissals of captain Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Axar Patel in the next four overs, reducing India to 31/4. Kohli was then joined by Hardik, as both batters looked to stabilise the chase.

As the innings kept going with occasional boundaries and some tight overs, Kohli and Pandya found themselves in a tricky position with 48 runs needed to win in 18 balls. The former India captain then unleashed the beast inside him and smashed 36 runs off 11 balls in the next three overs. India earned the victory in the final over and gave millions of Indians another reason to celebrate the festive season.

With the win, India became the first team to earn points in the Group 2 of the Super 12 stage. Group 2 members Bangladesh and Netherlands will lock horns on Monday, followed by the match between South Africa and Zimbabwe on the same day. Meanwhile, India will play their next game against the Netherlands on October 27, before facing the Proteas side, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe in the league stage.