Virat Kohli will continue his run-charting spree against one of his favorite opponents, Pakistan, when India and Pakistan meet in their first encounter of 2023 on Saturday in the Asia Cup 2023.
The arch-rivals will resume their rivalry when they face off in Kandy on September 2 for the first of what could potentially be three matches in the Asia Cup. Such is the format of the Asia Cup that the two teams could meet each other thrice, including in the final.
This will serve as a precursor for the mega showdown in Ahmedabad on 14th November for their World Cup 2023 clash.
It will be a mouth-watering contest between the Pakistani pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf against India’s top three of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Kohli.
The Pakistani bowlers wouldn’t have forgotten the scars of last year’s loss to India, and effectively to Virat Kohli’s epic knock, at the MCG in the T20 World Cup 2022. The Men In Green would be itching to dismiss India’s talisman batsman cheaply this time, while Kohli would be aiming to make the best use of the form that he’s been in this year.
In 9 ODI innings in 2023, the 34-year-old has scored 427 runs at an average of 53 with 2 centuries and 1 fifty, with a best of 166*.
Virat Kohli’s numbers vs Pakistan:
Virat Kohli has played 13 ODI matches against Pakistan, in which he’s scored 536 runs at an average of 48.
How many centuries has Virat Kohli hit against Pakistan?
In 13 ODI knocks against Pakistan, Virat Kohli has hit 2 centuries -183 in the Asia Cup 2012 in Mirpur and 107 in the 2015 WC in Adelaide – and 2 fifties.
In the last meeting between the two teams in ODI format, which was in the 2019 World Cup in Manchester, Virat Kohli scored 77 runs off 65 balls, after Rohit Sharma’s century. India will be hoping that their two star men step up once again in the multiple encounters against Pakistan this year.
