'183 against Pakistan stands out for me' - Virat Kohli picks his most memorable Asia Cup knock

Virat Kohli’s ODI performance up until 2019 was so strong that even after a long slump, his average stands at 57.68, and his century and career run total continue to be considerably beyond those of his peers. It all began in the first years of the past decade, and one of the notable innings that solidified Virat Kohli’s status as one of India’s top batters occurred in a match against Pakistan during the Asia Cup in 2012.

When Indian opener Gautam Gambhir was dismissed off the second delivery of the innings for no runs while seeking a total of 330 runs, a 23-year-old Kohli came in. What happened then was historic, as Kohli went on to smash 183 runs off 148 balls and the game concluded in the 48th over itself. His knock remains to be his best ODI innings to date and the batter shared his fond memories of the tournament.

“Asia Cup has been a very special tournament personally for me. The first Asia Cup I was a part of was in 2010. We won that as well against Sri Lanka. And then in 2012, we could not win that one. And then in 2014 as well we could not win and in 2016 we ended up winning when it was a Twenty20 after a very long time so Asia Cup for me has always been memorable and yes the 183 (vs Pakistan in 2012) definitely stands out for me personally because that was kind of a revelation for me,” Virat Kohli said on Star Sports.

Then from there, my belief grew more and more: Virat Kohli

In the 2016 Asia Cup, which was the first time the competition was contested in the T20 format before the current season of 2022, India had bundled Pakistan out for just 83 runs in the first innings. Despite the low mark, India battled against Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Sami on the tricky Mirpur pitch. In 51 balls, Kohli struck 49 runs, guiding India to victory.

“At 23, I could play at that level you know. In a big game, Sunday, Pakistan, big chase, I kind of surprised myself, and then from there, my belief grew more and more. Then the other game that was special to me which I remember quite fondly is again against Pakistan in Bangladesh and I got 49 odd on a very tricky pitch. These are the kind of games that always stay in my memory,” he further stated.