- Saturday, January 11, 2025
India were off to a flying start on Sunday with both openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill hitting fifties before rain suspended play.
By: Shubham Ghosh
ACE India batters Virat Kohli and KL Rahul slammed unbeaten hundreds in a Super Four clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023 at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo in Sri Lanka on Monday (11) to help their side post a mammoth 356 for 2 in 50 overs.
It was Kohli’s (122 not out off 94 balls) 47th hundred in the 50-over format and he is now only two tons (49) behind the iconic Sachin Tendulkar. Overall, it was Kohli’s 77th international hundred and he is now 23 behind the Master Blaster’s record tally of 100. The former India captain also completed 13,000 one-day runs en route his century and was the fastest one to achieve the feat, eclipsing Tendulkar. He slammed nine fours and three sixes in his knock.
Rahul (111 not out off 106), on the other hand, hit his sixth ton in the 50-over format and it was his comeback international match since playing against Australia at home in March. He also completed 2,000 runs in one-day internationals. He hit 12 fours and two sixes in his knock.
The two batters started on the reserve day from where the match was stopped by rain on Sunday (10) and dominated the opponents’ much-vaunted bowling attack throughout the innings. India were 147 for 2 after 24.1 overs on the scheduled day when heavy rain suspended play.
Captain Rohit Sharma (56) and Shubman Gill (58) gave India a big platform by adding 121 runs for the first wicket after Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bowl. After the India openers departed in quick succession, Kohli and Rahul came together to add unbroken 233 runs in just 32.1 overs.
For Pakistan, spinner Shadab Khan and opening pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi picked the two wickets that fell. Haris Rauf could not take the field on the reserve day after picking an injury while Naseem Shah, the other pacer, could not finish his quota of 10 overs and left the ground towards the end of the Indian innings. He was the most economical of the Pakistan bowlers, however, conceding 53 runs in 9.2 overs but did not get a wicket.
Pakistan are currently at the top of the points table in the Super Four stage with two points from one game. Sri Lanka also have two points from a game but have an inferior net run rate. Bangladesh, the fourth team, have lost both their games so far.
