“I hadn’t done too well against Pakistan” - How Virat Kohli reacted after the epic 183 in 2012 Asia Cup
Team India star Virat Kohli has made ODI run-chases his bread and butter in an illastrious 16-year career. Yet, his 183 against Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup still stands out among most fans as his best ODI knock, given the opposition and the task at hand.
The Men in Blue were set a stiff target of 330 to stay alive in the tournament and Kohli's magnificent 183 off 148 balls helped the side complete the run-chase in the 48th over.
However, after the win, Kohli's reaction was more relief than joy as he had struggled against Pakistan previously. His post-game remarks as quoted by ESPNCricinfo were:
"I hadn't done too well against Pakistan, played thrice before. Even in the World Cup semi-final, I got out and I was really disappointed. Playing against them is always a high-pressure game, all eyes are on that game. It is really satisfying to chase down a big score in a crunch game for us."
Kohli played Pakistan three times before the 2012 Asia Cup outing, scoring only 43 runs at an average of 14.33 in them.
He admitted that the thought of a double century did cross his mind once but he decided to focus on the game and not on the milestone.
"I don't know, I was just looking at the ball and hitting it. It did cross my mind once and I was like, this can't be real and I decided to focus on the game and react to the ball. It sort of crossed my mind but it was about keep batting, keep hitting the ball," Kohli said.
The 183 was Kohli's 12th international century and 11th in ODIs, setting him on his way to dominating India's arch-rivals since.
How has Virat Kohli fared against Pakistan in his international career?
While Virat Kohli may have started slowly against Pakistan, he has been at his destructive best against them since the epic 183 in the 2012 Asia Cup.
The 35-year-old averages an excellent 52.15 at a strike rate of over 100 in 16 ODIs against Pakistan. Apart from the 183, Kohli also scored two other centuries - a majestic 107 in the 2015 ODI World Cup encounter at Adelaide and the 122* in last year's Asia Cup.
His T20I numbers against Pakistan are even better with an average of over 70 and a strike rate of almost 124 in 11 outings. Kohli has scored five half-centuries in T20Is against the arch-rivals, including arguably the greatest short-format knock in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Chasing 160, Kohli helped India recover from 31/4 with a scintillating 82* off 53 balls and win by four wickets off the final ball.
Overall, the champion batter averages 58.50 against Pakistan in international cricket with three centuries and seven half-centuries in 27 matches.