On Saturday, Indian skipper Virat Kohli during an Instagram live session with Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shared several thoughts and recalled the incidents from the Asia Cup 2012 which was played between arch-rivals India vs Pakistan at Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Kohli said that it was a funny moment as he and Rohit collided while chasing a ball during a Pakistan’s innings and he remembered that MS Dhoni was not happy about it. It was supposed to be single but we gave away three runs.
“It was very funny and I remember MS wasn’t too happy about it. Pakistan I think had posted 329 and they had some very big partnerships in the beginning. At that time we (he and Rohit) sort of messed up, it was supposed to be a single but we gave away three runs,” recalled Kohli in an interview with teammate Ravichandran Ashwin.
“I remember Irfan (Pathan) running after the ball and throwing it back to MS and MS was like how can these two guys just collide and give away three runs. The bowler was you (Ashwin). I remember Umar Akmal played it like that, I was at deep mid-wicket and Rohit was at deep square-leg. I came in, Rohit was also going for the ball and the side of my head hit Rohit’s shoulder. I don’t think it was that serious, it was just the heat of the moment when we went for the ball and like for five minutes couldn’t figure out what had happened,” said Kohli.
With the help of a solid opening partnership, Pakistan’s batsman took the score to 329 for six. But the match was more remembered for Kohli’s brilliance as he played a career-best knock of 183 off 148 deliveries which is still his highest score in ODIs.
“I told myself that I am going to start playing him (Ajmal) like a legspinner because his doosra was quite difficult to face and his offspinner was not that lethal. So I said I am going to try and hit him over cover consistently, and it just paid off. As soon as I negated his doosra, the potency of his threat became lesser and lesser,” Kohli told Ashwin during the chat.
“In that game, I scored most of my runs against him through the offside. My only aim was that I am going to make him unsettled with his doosra. He should fear bowling the doosra to me, then I am on top of my game,” he added.
In that match, Kohli stitched a crucial 133 run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar for second wicket. But, unfortunately,\ it was Sachin’s last ODI for India as well.
He further added that at that time Pakistani bowling line up was quite difficult to face.
“Their bowling attack was quite potent. At the time they were a really challenging bowling attack because of the variations. There was Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema and there was Hafeez as well. For the first 20-25 overs, the conditions were clearly in their favour but I remember I was just happy batting next to paaji (Sachin Tendulkar),” Kohli said.
“It turned out to be his last ODI innings and he scored a 50 and we got a 100-run partnership so that was a memorable anecdote for me,” he added.
Virat called that game as a game changer for him as it was a quite memorable also.
“It naturally happened because I was constantly boosting myself up to want those situations to happen. I think that turned out to be a game-changer for me. I fondly remember that chase it was really tough, Rohit played brilliantly and in the end, MS Dhoni and Raina finished with three overs to spare or something, chasing 330 which was quite memorable,” Kohli said.
