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Rediff.com  » Cricket » Kohli was simply sensational, admits Misbah
This article was first published 12 years ago

Kohli was simply sensational, admits Misbah

Last updated on: March 18, 2012 22:41 IST

Image: Virat Kohli celebrates after completing his century
Photographs: Reuters

"This is the best innings I have ever seen," is how Pakistan skipper Misbah ul Haq described young Indian batsman Virat Kohli's majestic knock of 183, which helped India chase a mammoth 330-run target in Asia Cup, in Mirpur on Sunday.

- Scorecard | Match Report

Kohli's career-best knock came off just 148 balls and the sensational victory kept India's chances to make the final of the tournament alive.

"They did wonderfully. It was excellent innings by Kohli. The best innings (Kohli) I have ever seen. Credit goes to their batsmen, it's easy out there under lights. But 329 is still a good score," Misbah said after the match.

Misbah said Pakistan, who have already made the final, will sort out their grey areas and come strong in the summit clash.

Tags: Misbah , Haq , India , Kohli , Pakistan

Crunch game

Image: Virat Kohli celebrates after completing his century against Pakistan
Photographs: Reuters

Kohli himself was stunned with what he did with the bat for India.

"I still cannot believe what happened out there. It was a crunch game for us. I could execute my plans against a tough side and it is really satisfying," Kohli said.

Asked what he was thinking when Gautam Gambhir departed in the second ball of the innings, Kohli said, "One thing in my mind was that it was a good wicket to bat. We need to build partnerships. We kept wickets in hand and that helped."

During his terrific knock, Kohli rattled up a 172-run partnership with Rohit Sharma (68), which was key to India's easy win.

'I'm a big fan of Rohit'

Image: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma run in between wickets during their match against Pakistan
Photographs: Reuters

Kohli was full of praise for Sharma. "I am a big fan of Rohit. I love watch him bat. It was a pleasure to bat with him. It was one of the best chases we had.

"So very satisfying. It was India's highest successful run chase ever. India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said it was frustrating to see Pakistan score so many runs on the board.

"When they were batting as a captain, you cannot do much. They batted brilliantly. We used eight bowlers and when you use eight bowlers it means things are not going your way. It still was a good wicket under lights but you still needed partnerships," Dhoni said.

'Sachin and Virat batted brilliantly'

Image: Pakistan players appeal unsuccessfully for Sachin Tendulkar's wicket
Photographs: Reuters
Dhoni was also all praise for young Indian guns – Virat and Rohit."Sachin and Virat batted brilliantly, Rohit can be a good finisher. He was calm and cool. Kohli was brilliant. It never looked he slogged. He played proper cricketing shots," he said.

Dhoni said it may look like an easy chase but it wasn't. "Once you cross 300 it's difficult irrespective of how flat the pitch is, we did it in Hobart.

"We've got the talent in the bowling department also. It's about how you handle pressure, they will learn from games like these," he added.

Tags: Rohit , Dhoni , Hobart
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