Indian Express, Nihal Koshie : Mirpur, Still only 23, Virat Kohli, whether in terms of statistics or silverware won, has had a storming start to his career. He has won the World Cup at both junior and senior levels, the latter coming a mere three years after his debut. He averages over 50 in ODIs and has scored more centuries than Sachin Tendulkar at this stage of his career. Yet, on a parameter that continues to be valued greatly in our neck of the woods, Kohli
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still had some way to go. Players belonging to both India and Pakistan are often judged by their performance against the arch-rival. Losing can leave a permanent dent in the psyche of a team. Victory can elevate the status of a player. In three matches against Pakistan, Kohli has struggled, with a highest of 18. Until Sunday, that is. At the Sher-e-Bangla stadium during the side's final league engagement against Pakistan, Kohli went about setting that record straight with an imperious 183 off 148 balls, fashioning India's highest chase in ODIs. The eleventh hundred of his ODI career, the third in four games, put India's Asia Cup campaign back on track, 48 hours after a humiliating loss to Bangladesh. The knock not just lit up the latest chapter in the rivalry between the two sides, but also reaffirmed Kohli's status as an influential No. 3 and as one of India's leading match-winners. A Kohli century has often been a common denominator in India's victories while chasing over the last two years. Seven of his 11 hundreds have come in chases, each of them resulting in a win. Four of the seven hundreds have helped haul down 280-plus targets. He averages 73 in successful chases. Source: Indian Express
