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On This Day: Virat Kohli’s career-best
By B Dixit - Mar 18, 2018 5:51 am
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During the fifth match of the Asia Cup between India and Pakistan in 2012 at Dhaka, Virat Kohli scored his 11th ODI century, a career-best 183 (148) with the help of 22 fours & a six as India chased down 330 runs in 47.5 overs.

In which was a must-win encounter for India, Kohli made sure that he outdid the Pakistani bowlers in a bid to remain in contention for the final match of the tournament. Merely three weeks after he had scored a match-winning 133* against Sri Lanka at Hobart, he had put on display another masterly innings while chasing for India.

Misbah-ul-Haq, the then Pakistani captain, had won the toss and chose to bat. On the back of centuries from its openers in Mohammad Hafeez (105) and Nasir Jamshed (112), Pakistan scored 329-6 in their allotted quota of 50 overs. Pakistan had scored 218-0 in 35 overs. They must have been disappointed for scoring 111 runs in the last 15 overs, that too when they all wickets intact.

Virat
Kohli celebrating his 11th ODI century.

With bowling figures of 8-0-47-2, Ashok Dinda was the pick of the Indian bowlers.

India didn’t start their innings as well as they would have liked. Mohammad Hafeez, who took the new ball for Pakistan, found Gautam Gambhir plumb in front of the stumps on the second delivery of the Indian innings. The dismissal brought in Kohli, who in a way got enough time to get his eye in and plan for the chase accordingly.

He shared a brisk 133-run stand with Sachin Tendulkar (52). Another game-changing partnership came India’s way when Kohli and Rohit Sharma (68) stitched a 172-run partnership for the third wicket.

On the second delivery of the 30th over, with a single to long-on, Kohli completed his century off 97 balls. He scored the next 83 runs in 51 balls, taking the attack to the Pakistani bowlers. He got out to Umar Gul in the 48th over when only 12 runs were required for victory

Kohli was awarded his 10th ‘Man of the Match’ award in ODIs for scoring his career-best score.

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