Virat Kohli Recalls How MS Dhoni Got Upset When He and Rohit Sharma Collided During India vs Pakistan Clash in 2012 Asia Cup

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni is known for his cool nature and his tendency to remain calm at the crunchiest of situations. However, there were also some instances when the wicket-keeper batsman lost his cool and his teammates had to face the heat. Recently, Indian captain Virat Kohli also revealed one such episode while talking to veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin during a live Instagram session. Recalling the India Vs Pakistan clash in 2012 Asia Cup, the top-ranked ODI batsman said that he and Rohit Sharma collided while fielding during Pakistan's innings due to which the Men in Green got three runs instead of one. Kohli also revealed that the then Indian captain wasn't amused with the mix up. Virat Kohli ‘Fondly Remembers’ 183 vs Pakistan, Says That Knock Was ‘Game-Changer’ in His Cricket Career.

“It was very funny and I remember MS wasn’t too happy about it. Pakistan I think had posted 329 and they had some very big partnerships in the beginning. At that time we (he and Rohit) sort of messed up, it was supposed to be a single but we gave away three runs,” recalled Kohli while talking to Ravi Ashwin. Virat Kohli Only Indian Cricketer in Forbes Top 100 Highest-Paid Athletes of 2020.

“I remember Irfan (Pathan) running after the ball and throwing it back to MS and MS was like how can these two guys just collide and give away three runs. The bowler was you (Ashwin). I remember Umar Akmal played it like that, I was at deep mid-wicket and Rohit was at deep square-leg. I came in, Rohit was also going for the ball and the side of my head hit Rohit’s shoulder. I don’t think it was that serious, it was just the heat of the moment when we went for the ball and like for five minutes couldn’t figure out what had happened,” he added.

Riding on centuries from openers Mohammed Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed, Pakistan piled up 329/6 at Dhaka and looked hot favourite to win the encounter. However, Kohli came to spoil their party with a blistering knock.

Recalling the chase, Kohli said: “Their bowling attack was quite potent. At the time they were a really challenging bowling attack because of the variations. There was Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema and there was Hafeez as well. For the first 20-25 overs, the conditions were clearly in their favour but I remember I was just happy batting next to paaji (Sachin Tendulkar).”

That game also turned out to be the last ODI of Tendulkar in which he  scored a magnificent half-century. “It turned out to be his last ODI innings and he scored a 50 and we got a 100-run partnership so that was a memorable anecdote for me,” he added.

Kohli went on to score 183 runs, his highest ODI score to date as the Men in Blue clinched the epic encounter by six wickets. “It naturally happened because I was constantly boosting myself up to want those situations to happen. I think that turned out to be a game-changer for me. I fondly remember that chase it was really tough, Rohit played brilliantly and in the end, MS Dhoni and Raina finished with three overs to spare or something, chasing 330 which was quite memorable,” Kohli colcluded.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 01, 2020 02:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).