Virat Kohli was in attendance for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Group A match between India and Australia at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Sunday. The former India captain was seated in the stands alongside his wife Anushka Sharma and former India coach Ravi Shastri. Not just Kohli and Shastri, even former India opening batter Shikhar Dhawan was spotted in attendance as Harmanpreet Kaur and co got much-needed support for the must-win clash.
India needs to beat Australia to qualify for the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals, and a defeat would send them crashing out. When Harmanpreet Kaur was batting in the middle, the cameras picked up Kohli chatting with Shastri and Anushka, and the trio followed the proceedings of the match closely.
When the camera panned to Kohli and Shastri, the crowd broke out into loud ‘Kohli Kohli chants, and there was a mass hysteria around.
Coming to Kohli, he recently missed the ODI series against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury. However, he cleared the fitness Test at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, and he will now be part of the squad for the three ODIs against England, beginning July 14.
Kohli had sustained the hamstring injury during the IPL 2026 final between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Speaking of the Women’s T20 World Cup must-win match for India against Australia, the Harmanpreet-led side posted 170 runs on the board after the skipper played a knock of 56 runs off 27 balls. Smriti Mandhana (38), Shafali Verma (34) and Jemimah Rodrigues (34) also chipped in with useful knocks as India posted more than a competitive total on the board.
India needs to win
Anything less than a win for India would send them crashing out of the Women’s T20 World Cup. At the toss, India captain Harmanpreet won the toss and opted to bat in a do-or-die encounter.
At the toss, Harmanpreet said, “Going to bat first. It was a very important game for us, so we thought, let’s just bat freely. One change. Kranti is back in Nandni’s place. These kinds of pitches suit her. It’s a fresh day, fresh mind. Today is the day to enjoy ourselves.”
The pressure was put firmly on India by South Africa after the Proteas defeated Bangladesh in the Group A match on Sunday at the Lord’s Cricket Ground.
