"Love the Kohli who takes it deep and goes berserk at the death" - Fans react to Virat Kohli's quickfire 29 on T20I comeback vs Afghanistan

Superstar batter Virat Kohli had Indian fans at the edge of their seats during his quickfire knock of 29 from 16 deliveries in the second T20I against Afghanistan in Indore. Playing in his first T20I game for India after the 2022 World Cup semi-final, the 35-year-old quickly found his groove.

Coming in at 5/1 in the first over, Kohli immediately upped the ante with five blistering boundaries in his first 15 deliveries. It included a straight hit off Naveen-ul-Haq that just landed inside the boundary rope, reminding fans of the famous six against Haris Rauf in the 2022 T20 World Cup encounter against Pakistan.

Yet, in the greed to continue the run-flow, Kohli failed to time a slot delivery, which ended his entertaining and impactful innings.

Considering his long-time absence from the Indian T20I setup, Kohli's inclusion in the T20I squad raised several eyebrows. The champion batter answered those questions and looked in ominous touch, leading India to a commanding 62/2 in the sixth over in their run chase of 173.

However, the knock had fans on Twitter divided. Some praised Kohli's intent, while others preferred the batter who took it deep into the innings before going into all-out attack mode.

Here are some of the reactions:

Team India take an unssailable 2-0 series lead against Afghanistan

Team India completed another dominant win in the second T20I to take a series-clinching 2-0 lead against Afghanistan.

On a belter of a surface with small boundaries, the Indian bowlers restricted the Afghans to a below-par 172 in 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh led the show with three wickets, while spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel chipped in with two wickets each.

In reply, the hosts lost skipper Rohit Sharma in the first over for a golden duck before the Virat Kohli-Yashasvi Jaiswal partnership took centerstage. The duo added a game-changing 57 off 28 deliveries to propel India into the ascendency.

Despite Kohli's wicket in the final over of powerplay, Shivam Dube picked up from where he left off in the first T20I. The southpaw scored a scintillating 63* off 32 balls and stitched together a 92-run partnership off only 42 deliveries with Jaiswal. The opener himself scored a crucial 68 off 34 balls, with five boundaries and six maximums.

Afghanistan picked up a couple of later wickets once the outcome was all but decided, as India won by six wickets with 26 balls to spare.

The Men in Blue also won the opening encounter by a similar margin (six wickets). They will now look for a series whitewash in the final T20I at Bengaluru on Wednesday, January 17.