T20 WC: A Melbourne potboiler, starring Kohli and those useful byes

India at the top of the table in the group with 2 points and a net run rate of +.050

Could there have been a better start for India’s World Cup campaign? Even a win in any other fashion would not have matched the sheer tempo of Sunday’s pre-Diwali firecracker. The Melbourne Cricket Ground was packed to the rafters with more than 90,000 fans cheering for Pakistan and India alike. The match went down to the wires. The last six balls saw the game change directions as many times with two wickets, two wides, and a no-ball. In the end, India secured a thriller victory by four wickets over Pakistan.

Earlier, India’s captain Rohit Sharma won the toss to sending India’s