Virat Kohli and KL Rahul orchestrated a breathtaking display of cricketing prowess as they guided India to a resounding victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup, Super 4 encounter in Colombo. Despite a rain delay, the match lived up to its billing as a spectacular showcase of batting brilliance.
Resuming India’s innings at 147/2 after 24.1 overs, Kohli and Rahul wasted no time asserting their dominance. With impeccable strokeplay and a relentless pursuit of boundaries, they engineered an onslaught that left fans in awe. The duo’s combined efforts culminated in their respective centuries, propelling India to an imposing total of 356/2 in 50 overs.
Kohli’s unbeaten 122, crafted from just 94 deliveries, featured nine fours and three sixes. Rahul, making a triumphant return to the squad after a six-month hiatus due to injury, remained unbeaten with 111 runs off 106 balls, including 12 boundaries and two maximums.
The pair’s extraordinary partnership, an unbeaten 233-run stand for the third wicket, etched their names into cricketing history. It is now the highest partnership ever recorded in the Asia Cup and the highest partnership between Indian batters against Pakistan.
Here are some of the records shattered by Kohli and Rahul during their memorable innings:
- Highest partnership in ODI Asia Cup:
- 233 – V Kohli & KL Rahul vs PAK, today*
- 224 – M Hafeez & N Jamshed vs IND, 2012
- 223 – S Malik & Younis Khan vs HK, 2004
- 214 – Babar & Iftikhar Ahmed vs NEP, 2023
- Highest partnership for India vs Pakistan in ODIs:
- 233* – Virat Kohli & KL Rahul, Colombo (RPS), today* (3rd wicket)
- 231 – Navjot Sidhu & Sachin Tendulkar, Sharjah, 1996 (2nd wicket)
- 210 – Shikhar Dhawan & Rohit Sharma, Dubai (DSc), 2018 (1st wicket)
- 201 – Rahul Dravid & Virender Sehwag, Kochi, 2005 (3rd wicket)
Colombo continues to be a special venue for Kohli, as this marks his fourth consecutive ODI century at the location. Furthermore, this century took his ODI century tally to 47, placing him just two centuries away from matching Sachin Tendulkar’s legendary record.
During his prolific innings, Kohli achieved another milestone by becoming the fastest batter to reach 13,000 runs in ODIs, accomplishing this feat in only 267 innings. Kohli had already secured the fastest milestones for 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, 11,000, and 12,000 ODI runs.
This extraordinary display of batting prowess was complemented by India’s top-order performance, with skipper Rohit Sharma and opening partner Shubman Gill both contributing 50-plus scores. Rohit Sharma scored 56 runs from 49 balls, while Gill made 58 runs from 52 deliveries.
Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and the Indian cricket team have set the stage alight with their remarkable achievements, leaving fans eagerly anticipating future encounters in the Asia Cup and beyond.
Sources By Agencies
