Shruti Suman
After being awarded the Player of the Match for his impressive 122 runs off 94 balls, India’s star batsman, Virat Kohli, expressed his readiness to return to the field on Tuesday. He also mentioned that playing Test cricket would aid in his recovery and allow him to participate for a third consecutive day. Much like his previous remarkable performances, this century against one of his favorite rivals, Pakistan, came with a set of outstanding records. Kohli transformed his innings from 50 runs off 55 balls to an unbeaten 122 off 94 balls, smashing 72 runs off his last 39 balls, contributing significantly to India’s formidable total in the rain-interrupted Asia Cup Super Four match against Pakistan. Batting alongside KL Rahul, Kohli displayed top form as they both dominated Pakistan’s bowling attack.
“In my pursuit of those runs, I was delighted to achieve them, but I had in mind that I needed to be back on the field at 3 pm tomorrow,” said Virat Kohli during the post-match presentation.
“This is the first time I’ve accomplished something like this in my 15-year cricket career. Fortunately, we are Test players, so we understand how to return and play the next day. Recovery is paramount. The conditions were quite humid today. I’ll be turning 35 in November, so I need to prioritize my recovery,” he added.
Kohli’s vintage performance and Rahul’s outstanding century propelled India to a total of 356/2 against their arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup Super Four clash.
Kohli praised KL Rahul for his remarkable performance, scoring 111 runs in his first international game after a five-month injury layoff.
“KL and I are both classical players. When you have him playing the way he did and me in the same form, it’s difficult for opponents to break our partnership because we rely on traditional shots. We didn’t dwell too much on the partnership; our aim was to keep batting. This partnership is one of the most memorable ones for us and for Indian cricket. His immediate return to form was a positive for us,” Kohli added.
Turning to the match itself, fiery centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, followed by Kuldeep Yadav’s five-wicket haul, propelled India to a resounding 228-run victory over their traditional rivals, Pakistan, in the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four clash at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Kuldeep claimed his second five-wicket haul in ODIs as India secured a comprehensive 228-run win. Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf did not even get a chance to bat in Pakistan’s chase.
With this commanding victory, India secured the top spot in the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four table, and their next opponent will be Sri Lanka on Tuesday at the same venue.
Khushi Sikarwar
