“Had never thought that I would score 183” - Virat Kohli on his epic knock against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2012
Star Team India batter Virat Kohli stated that he never thought he could have scored 183 runs in an ODI match, which he did against Pakistan in Mirpur during the 2012 Asia Cup. Reflecting on the knock, Kohli said that he was in a different zone that day.
He hammered 183 off 148 balls in match number five of Asia Cup 2012. Batting first, Pakistan posted an impressive 329/6 on the board as openers Mohammad Hafeez (105 off 113) and Nasir Jamshed (112 off 104) hit brilliant hundreds.
The Men in Blue, however, aced the chase with ease as Kohli smashed 22 fours and a six. India lost Gautam Gambhir for a duck, but Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar (52 off 48) added 133 for the second wicket. Kohli and Rohit Sharma (68 off 83) then featured in a 172-run stand for the third wicket to put India in a commanding position.
Reliving memories of the special knock, Kohli said on the ‘Follow The Blues’ show on Star Sports that he had not planned anything specific and was playing more on instinct.
“I had never thought that I would score so many runs in an innings and that too while chasing - 183. That day I was in a different zone naturally. I had not planned anything and was just playing instinctively. As the match progressed, my zone became stronger," he said.
"Later on, I realized that maybe I surprised myself a little bit. I felt like I can score hundreds, but to score 180 was a big thing for me, especially against a side like Pakistan with so much on the line on that game,” Kohli added.
Kohli’s special knock ended at the start of the 48th over when he fell to Umar Gul, with India’s score reading 318/4. Suresh Raina (12* off 6) and MS Dhoni (4*) then took the Men in Blue past the finish line with 13 balls to spare.
“India-Pakistan was a big game for me” - Kohli
Elaborating on why he rates his knock of 183 so highly, Kohli explained that, as a youngster, he did not have much idea of the kind of hype around an India-Pakistan cricket match.
“The most satisfying [knock] I would say was 183 because it was an Asia Cup match and India-Pakistan was a big game for me. I had not played too many India-Pakistan matches before that. At that time, I did not have that much idea about the build-up to the match," Kohli stated.
"Now, we take it in a normal way, but at that time so much excitement was created. The match was viewed in such a way that as a youngster you feel the atmosphere is something different,” he added.
Kohli will be up against Pakistan again when India face the arch-rivals in Asia Cup 2023 in Pallekele on September 2.