The great batter spoke about his thought process and the "zone" he entered before approaching his epic knock aged 22 at the time.
Virat Kohli revisited his Asia Cup classic from 2012 against Pakistan in Mirpur ahead of the tournament’s next edition, starting August 30. The great Indian batter recalled the time he firmed up his standing as one of the brightest young talents in world cricket with a magnum opus knock of 183 off 148 deliveries versus arch-rivals Pakistan.
In a high-pressure encounter against the neighbours, which was also a must-win fixture for the Indian team, Kohli helped his side scale the daunting target of 330 on a dry pitch against an opposition attack featuring Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal at their best.
Only 22 at the time, Kohli elevated his game significantly and continued a brilliant run that started with the highly challenging tour of Australia in the preceding months. The aspirational right-hander took a giant stride into establishing himself as the Indian batting linchpin and one of the finest One-Day batters and run-chasers.
The innings saw Kohli share a critical partnership with his idol and world cricket numero uno Sachin Tendulkar, who later confirmed that would remain his final ODI appearance. The partnership is therefore recalled as the early passing of batton, signalling a new era for Indian cricket.
Speaking about his knock in an interview on Star Sports’ ‘Follow The Blues’ show, Virat Kohli revisited the happy memories about his Dhaka classic against Pakistan and said it was innings based on pure instincts rather than excess planning.
Kohli feels the “zone” he was willing to enter with bat in hand allowed him to wear off the opposition threat and play each of his strokes with the clarity, confidence and command that were evident throughout his stay.
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“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,” the 34-year-old giant 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,” he added.
