India recovered well after losing two powerplay wickets in pursuit of Australia’s 265 with a place in the Champions Trophy final at stake, in Dubai on Tuesday. Steady contributions from Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel allowed Virat Kohli to shepherd the chase along with his characteristic control as he moved towards a record 29th ton while chasing but by the time the fourth wicket fell in the 35th over, the scoring rate had begun to take a toll. Nevertheless, the 36-year-old was happy to knock the ball around and keep the scorecard ticking, prompting KL Rahul to take over the attacking responsibilities as he slammed Ben Dwarshuis for a boundary in the 42nd over and followed it up with a maximum off Adam Zampa three deliveries later. However, little did the Karnataka batter know his strategy would end up hurting the team in unexpected ways.
Rahul, as a firm believer of cricketing wisdom, rotated six immediately after the big strike with the required run rate back under run-a-ball after staying over six for a few overs. However, Kohli defied his expectations of reciprocating the gesture by instead trying to launch a googly down the ground and only managed to send the Kookaburra straight down long-on’s throat. Rahul could not believe what had just transpired as he hung his head back in agony and as a distraught Kohli walked past him, his frustrated counterpart mouthed, “Mai maar raha tha na [I was hitting no],” making sure Kohli realized the grave mistake he had just committed.
Twitterati expressed complete agreement with the Indian veteran as they wondered about the chase master’s absurd decision.
There was no need
Exactly
KL Rahul to Virat, “Main maar raha tha.” pic.twitter.com/f5mQIBT24F
— CricketGully (@thecricketgully) March 4, 2025
KL Rahul to Virat Kohli after the his dismissal:
– “Main maar raha tha na yaar (I was hitting na yaar). 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/bhPaLyee6n— Dipak Official…… (@DipakOfficial25) March 4, 2025
Brilliant
He was sad
KL Rahul’s reaction on Virat Kohli’s dismissal 🙁 #INDvAUS #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/UNsY9qmNBF
— 𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐑 🥰 (@HEER_1_) March 4, 2025
Virat bhai wicket nahi chhodni thi….
Saathme KL rahul tha…. Century ho jaati…— Mayur – The Cricket Guy (@MayurSheth97) March 4, 2025
Jada
Hit it
KL Rahul to Virat Kohli : Main maar raha tha na yaar 😢#INDvsAUS #AUSvsIND #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/iA7RXo8yUr
— Akshat Om (@AkshatOM10) March 4, 2025
KL Rahul to Virat Kohli after the dismissal:
“Main maar raha tha na yaar (I was hitting it, man)”.
TAKE A BOW, KING KOHLI. 🙇♂️🇮🇳
– 84 (95) with 5 fours. Missed out on a world class Century.🐐#IndvsAus #ViratKohli #SemiFinals #ChampionsTrophy2025 pic.twitter.com/vgYdlVIo7J— Nitesh Prajapati (@itsmenitesh04) March 4, 2025
Selfless
