Virat Kohli's 183 against Pakistan in Asia Cup is probably one of his greatest innings: Gautam Gambhir

It was no looking back for Virat Kohli after he broke into the national side in 2008. The career of the prolific run-scorer has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. From a young prodigy to a world-class batsman– Kohli’s exemplary journey on the biggest stage shows the talent which he possesses and delivers on the field.

The world witnessed a glimpse of Kohli’s batting ability when he smashed a brilliant 183-run knock in the 2012 Asia Cup against Pakistan. The right-hander scored 183 off 148 balls with 22 fours and a solitary six in the 5th ODI of the tournament in Dhaka, steering the Men in Blue to a six-wicket triumph with 13 balls to spare.

Kohli took guard in the first over itself, with Gautam Gambhir shown the exit door by Mohammad Hafeez. With Sachin Tendulkar, Kohli stitched a 133-run stand as India eventually hunted down the target of 330 runs. Rohit Sharma also contributed by scoring 68 off 83 as India flaunted a dominant show against the Misbah-ul-Haq-led side.

Kohli has played many unbelievable innings: Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir, while recalling Kohli’s match-winning knock, heaped praise on the current India skipper. Gambhir also rated the knock as Kohli’s one of the greatest innings from all points of view.

“Virat Kohli has played many unbelievable innings across the three formats, but this is one of his greatest innings from all points of view. First of all, we were chasing 330, then India was 0/1, and then scoring 183 out of the 330 runs, that too against Pakistan, and that time, he was not that experienced too. According to me, I think probably this is one of Virat Kohli’s greatest innings, honestly,” said Gambhir on Star Sports’ Cricket Connected while discussing the Best of Asia Cup.

The score (183) remains Kohli’s highest in ODI cricket and the highest by a batsman in the Asia Cup. The run-machine of India has gathered 613 runs from 11 matches in the tournament, boasting a staggering average of 61.30 with three tons and a half-century.

Kohli last braced the field in the Test series against New Zealand, where India was handed a 2-0 whitewash. After the cancellation of the South Africa series, Kohli was set to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore in the thirteenth edition of the IPL. However, the cash-rich league was also postponed in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

Ardent Kohli fans will now see the India skipper return to the field in the UAE, with IPL 2020 set to be shifted to a new country altogether amid the pandemic. This year’s IPL is slotted in the September-November window before India lock horns with Australia Down Under.

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