"The shot by KL Rahul against Shadab Khan, hit towards midwicket, was the shot of the match in my opinion" - Harbhajan Singh 

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh praised the strokeplay of both Virat Kohli and KL Rahul during their mammoth unbeaten 233-run partnership against Pakistan in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2023. The Men in Blue recorded a 228-run win over their arch-rivals in a contest that lasted two days at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul both scored hundreds as India put up 356-2 on the board after being put into bat by Babar Azam. The pair resumed their innings from the overnight score, and the Pakistani bowlers failed to pick up a single wicket on the reserve day.

Naming the shots by KL Rahul and Virat Kohli that were the best of the lot, Harbhajan Singh said on his YouTube channel:

"The shot by KL Rahul against Shadab Khan, where he used his wrists to hit towards midwicket, was the shot of the match in my opinion. But, if any stroke can match that and challenge it, it was Kohli's six off the last ball of the innings."

KL Rahul's shot drew reactions of awe from Virat Kohli at the non-striker's end as well as Rohit Sharma in the dressing room. Kohli, on the other, wrapped up the innings in style by scoring a six off the final delivery by Faheem Ashraf.

Further showering praise on KL Rahul for scoring a hundred in his comeback match, Harbhajan continued:

"It is not easy to return after an injury, but KL Rahul played brilliantly to mark a memorable comeback. It was total domination by India, the ball did not beat their bats even once and the bowlers had no answers at all."

KL Rahul returned from a long injury lay-off to replace Shreyas Iyer in the playing XI and scored an unbeaten 111 runs off 106 deliveries, which comprised of 12 fours and two sixes. The clash against Pakistan marked his first international contest since the home ODI series with Australia, prior to the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

"The target was so huge that Pakistan could only look at it, and not chase it down" - Harbhajan Singh

With each of the top four batters crossing the fifty-run mark, it was a comprehensive display by Team India. The Men in Blue levelled the record for the highest ODI total in India vs Pakistan encounters, with the 2005 ODI in Vishakapatnam also resulting in 356 runs.

Opining that there was no chance that Pakistan could have chased down such a target, Harbhajan said:

"The target was so huge that Pakistan could only look at it, and not chase it down. Everyone was talking about Pakistan's bowling strength, myself included, but the Indian batters just played too well. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill set the tone at the start of the innings, they set a really good foundation. Let's hope that the form lasts until the World Cup."

Team India are scheduled to face Sri Lanka at the same venue on Tuesday, September 12. A win against the hosts would strengthen Rohit Sharma and Co's chances of featuring in the Asia Cup 2023 final.