Dubai 27 August : Reminiscing about his experiences prior to participating in Asia Cup, talismanic India batter Virat Kohli revealed that his score of 183 against Pakistan in the 2012 edition in Mirpur is what stands out to him in a personal way as “that was a bit of an amazing experience for him”.In the match that ended up being Sachin Tendulkar’s last ODI game, Kohli slammed a career-best 183 off 143 balls, and hit 23 boundaries, which allowed India to get the 330 mark with 13 balls left.
Three weeks ago, just after the score of 183, Kohli had hit an unbeaten 133 off 86 balls to lead India’s pursuit of 321 in just 40 balls.Two knocks like these had established Kohli as one of the top batters in ODI cricket.
“It (Asia Cup) has been a personal experience for me personally.The very first Asia Cup I was part of was in 2010when we took the title in the finals against Sri Lanka.
Then in 2012, we didn’t win the same way as in 2014 however in 2016 we did end winning.It was 20-20 following a long time.Asia Cup for me always was a memorable experience and yes the 183rd match (against Pakistan) definitely stands out for me personally as it was a bit of an experience for me.”
“At 23 I could be a player at this level, I played a huge match against Pakistan in an enormous chase, and I kind of amazed myself, and from there , my faith was growing stronger and that was a memorable experience for me.I will remember it fondly the time I played against Pakistan and also against Bangladesh I scored 49 on the very difficult surface (in the year 2016 in T20I variant of the event) These kinds of matches that will remain in your mind,” said Kohli in an interview with Jatin Sapru of Star Sports on the eve of the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match.
Sunday’s Asia Cup clash at Dubai International Stadium will bring back the excitement of the “greatest rivalry” in the game of cricket as India and Pakistan begin their campaign in Group A.The match will also be Kohli’s 100th T20I appearance, and his first international game since his appearance in the third ODI in England on 17 July.
He will also be the second male player following New Zealand’s Ross Taylor to clock a century of appearances in all three formats of international cricket.
However, Kohli recognizes that milestones such as this as a result of his ability to overcome challenges and continuously improving his game over time.
“You can see that the figures in the three formats of the game are greater than 100, however for me the significance of it is quite different.It’s like you said, endurance and staying up with the demands of playing international cricket at the highest level.Beyond that, it’s the consistency, the challenges and constant development of your game, and improving it continuously and working to improve it.I believe this is an indication of the way one would like to live their life well.”
“When you’re improving the challenges will come, and you face them.You overcome those obstacles.You realize the worth of your own self as an individual.I’ve recently stated that it’s not just a number, but the effort done in behind the scenes.Its worth I have a good understanding of because these moments of labor are incredibly personal.When you sit in your chair, you know how you feel and what obstacles you face and the best way to conquer them.”
“So when all of these pile up and go upwards, you realize that you can achieve it.You think that you’re making the most use of an amazing opportunity that is not just playing cricket but also life in general.You’re moving forward, and this is giving you more faith, satisfaction and the feeling of satisfaction that you’re doing something productive with the time you have,” ended the right-handed batter.
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