3 min learnMar 18, 2026 07:29 PM IST
It’s becoming in a means that Sachin Tendulkar’s final ODI look, on at the present time 14 years in the past, coincided together with his inheritor obvious firmly taking over the mantle of India’s batting talisman.
Virat Kohli already had Hobart – the unbeaten 133 off 86 balls towards Sri Lanka serving to India chase down 320 effectively inside 40 overs, preserving alive their hopes of constructing the tri-series ultimate. The way in which the teenager handled the menace of Lasith Malinga – nonetheless a formidable pressure together with his pace, yorkers, deception and alter of tempo – was a sight to behold. The Slinger went for 96 runs in simply 7.4 overs that day.
However the knock towards Pakistan 18 days later in Dhaka, the place the Delhi boy’s mammoth 183 off 148 balls helped the crew chase down 329 with greater than two overs to spare, firmly gave him the moniker ‘chase grasp’.
It wasn’t identified then however Tendulkar’s innings of 52 off 48 balls turned out to be his final in ODI cricket, and it was apt that he and Kohli had a 133-run partnership in simply over 19 overs – after Gautam Gambhir acquired out to the second ball of the chase – to set the stage for the large chase earlier than spinner Saeed Ajmal grew to become the final bowler to dismiss him within the format, caught by Younis Khan at slip off a doosra.
In actual fact, three of the most effective exponents of ODI batting got here one after one other that day, with Rohit Sharma (68 off 83 balls) placing on 172 for the third wicket alongside Kohli, a precursor of many such jugalbandis for India sooner or later.
Wahab Riaz was an upcoming Pakistan left-arm speedster in these days however had a day to overlook as his 4 overs went for 50 runs.
That India needed to chase down such an enormous rating was comprehensible if one had a take a look at their bowling assault. It featured the likes of Praveen Kumar, Ashok Dinda – the latter giving a good account of himself in a high-scoring sport – and Irfan Pathan, who additionally went for fairly just a few. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was essentially the most economical bowler, going for 56 in his 10 overs.
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The Pakistan innings was highlighted by the 224-run opening partnership between Mohammad Hafeez (105 0ff 113 balls) and Nasir Jamshed (112 off 104) in lower than 36 overs.
Younis gave the crew some late increase with a 34-ball 52, however all that has been relegated to the footnotes of historical past as Kohli made the match his personal, taking one other step in direction of turning into arguably the most effective batsman within the historical past of the 50-over format.
The excessive of the victory over the arch rivals was an remoted silver lining for India within the event. They’d earlier misplaced to Bangladesh and ultimately did not make the ultimate. It was Pakistan who confronted the hosts within the title conflict, scraping residence by two runs to take the Asia Cup crown for the second time.
However, the event was one of many first steps Kohli took in direction of turning into an ODI behemoth.