The best of Virat Kohli - top 5 innings in ODI cricket so far

2. 183 vs Pakistan (5th Match, Asia Cup, Mirpur, March 2012)

Virat Kohli once again excelled in a chase, registering his highest ODI score

The Royal Challengers captain single-handedly demolished arch-rivals Pakistan with a commanding century, re-affirming India’s status as masters of chase in the subcontinent.

Pakistan had amassed a score of 329 on the back of centuries from openers Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed.

In the chase, Virat Kohli sent almost all the bowlers on a leather hunt as he pulled, cut, drove and flicked with utmost authority. With the peerless Sachin Tendulkar watching from the other end, Kohli went completely berserk against the Men in Green.

Both batsmen negated the threat posed by Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul, and smashed the other bowlers without a sweat as they rocketed away to a 133-run stand following Gautam Gambhir’s cheap dismissal.

Left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz bore the brunt of Kohli’s initial assault – the batsman flicked him for boundaries repeatedly on the leg side.

Riaz’s four overs cost him 50 runs, forcing his skipper to pull him out of the attack. Mohammad Hafeez, who scored 105 in Pakistan’s innings, was carted for 42 in his nine overs.

Such was the dominance Kohli exerted that the dismissals of Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma were mere flashes in the pan. He finally fell to a vicious short delivery from Gul, but by then the damage had been done to the bowling side, and India romped home without a fuss.