Gautam Gambhir On Iconic Virat Kohli 183 Inning: Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir has talked about Virat Kohli’s iconic inning of 183 against Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup, calling it arguably the greatest ODI inning played by an Indian batter.
Kohli made his Indian Cricket team debut just months after captaining the U-19 side to a World Cup win in 2008. He made his ODI debut during the tour to Sri Lanka before playing his first major tournament in the 2008 ICC Champions Trophy.
It took a few years for Virat to establish himself as a national team regular, which he did around 2010 and was hence a part of the 2011 World Cup-winning side. But it was following that tournament that he started emerging as one of the best players in the world.
One of the earliest indications of what the Delhi-based batter would go on to become came during the 2012 Asia Cup. While India failed to make it to the final of the competition despite finishing second on the table, it was Kohli who emerged as an absolute superstar from that series.
In just three games, the youngster made a mammoth 357 runs at an average of 119. He scored two centuries in that competition, including what is, to this day, his highest individual score in the format.
In the final league game against Pakistan, the Men in Green set a big target of 330 for India. That day, Virat tore the house down, scoring a massive 183 off 148 deliveries and guiding the team to a memorable win against their archrivals. This is counted as one of, if not the best Virat Kohli inning in his career.
Gautam Gambhir On Iconic Virat Kohli 183 Inning
Gautam Gambhir, who is now the Indian team’s head coach, also played in that match and was dismissed for a duck in the first over. He recently sat down with Kohli for a discussion, the video of which was posted by the BCCI.
During the conversation, Gautam recalled Virat’s inning against Pakistan from 2012, reckoning that it is the great ODI inning by an Indian, which makes it better than the seven double-centuries scored by Indians. He said,
“I saw you make your debut, play that very important knock in the Champions Trophy in South Africa on a tricky wicket against the West Indies, and then play possibly the best one-day innings that has been played by an Indian batter, and I have said this before. It is the best innings I have ever seen because of the quality of the opposition, the conditions, and chasing 300-plus against Pakistan.”
Gauti then went on to praise Virat Kohli, claiming that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru player has taken Indian cricket to new heights.
“You’ve done some really special things. Most importantly for me, how you have taken Indian cricket forward is probably the legacy you have left for the next generation,” Gambhir said.
After a tumultuous start to his stint as the Indian head coach, which included a T20I series win and an ODI series loss to Sri Lanka with very young teams, Gautam Gambhir is set to coach a team in Test cricket for the first time, as the two India vs Bangladesh Tests are upon us. These two matches will also feature Virat Kohli.
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