Kohli the new master blaster: India papers

There was plenty of reaction in the newspapers following India's triumph over Pakistan at the World Twenty20.

We take a look at some of the best.

Tanuj Lakhina from the Indian Express was in awe of Virat Kohli's amazing innings.

"In 18 T20I chases that he’s been part of, he’s scored 836 runs with nine fifties involved at a staggering average of 83.40 and strike rate of 130," Lakhina wrote. 

"At 3-32 when others would be under pressure and play a silly shot, Kohli stayed calm and poised in his demeanour. 

"He once again proved why India rely heavily on him. 

Quick Single: Kohli masterclass silences Pakistan

"He once again found an equally cool ally in Yuvraj Singh to keep the scoreboard ticking and play the big shots when the opportunity arose. 

"Once he reached his fifty, he bowed towards Sachin Tendulkar in the stands and raised his bat towards him. 

"Some might disagree but can one actually take away the fact that Kohli is the new ‘master blaster’ of Indian cricket? 

Somshuvra Laha from the Hindustan Times was impressed by Kohli's patience at the crease.

"Another Virat Kohli masterpiece that was as much about flair as it was of patience," Laha wrote.

"By focusing on ground shots, he cut out all possible risk of getting dismissed. 

"When Shahid Afridi was mixing it up, he focused on nudging the ball to vacant areas for singles and twos. 

"And when Shoaib Malik erred, he pounced on him. 

"In each over after Yuvraj’s dismissal, Kohli made sure he got at least one boundary. 

"All came off the cover drive that Kohli had been practicing so diligently on Saturday. 

"By the time he had cut Mohammad Irfan for a four, the equation was in India’s favour. 

"The winning runs, as usual, came from MS Dhoni’s bat but this was a victory scripted by the grit of Kohli."

Aditya Bhattacharya from the Times Of India gave praise to experienced spinner Ravi Ashwin for his important spell of bowling.

"Once the match was curtailed to an 18-over per side contest, Dhoni knew he had to bowl considering the movement his bowlers would be offered," Bhattacharya wrote.

"Openers Sharjeel Khan and Shezad Ahmed, despite scoring a couple of boundaries initially, were tied down by a tidy spell of bowling from R Ashwin. 

"His ping-pong ball-like bounce and turn resulted in numerous play-and-misses inside the Powerplay."

Osman Samiuddin from The National in Abu Dhabi said poor batting was the cause for Pakistan's disappointing performance.

"The story of Pakistan’s batting is well known," Samiduddin wrote. 

"It is the prime cause for their slide in limited-overs cricket. 

"It is a deeper malaise than just coming across a tough pitch one day.

"All that was needed about the current balance of power between these two sides: India ascendant and confident, Pakistan bluffing, harrying, hoping, desperate to somehow paw their way into this rivalry."