Former opener Gautam Gambhir has rated Virat Kohli’s stroke-filled 183 against Pakistan in a 2012 Asia Cup match as one of the greatest innings from the Indian batsman across three formats.

Chasing a big target of 330 in Dhaka, Kohli smashed 183 off just 148 balls, with 22 fours and one six, to guide India to a six wicket win. It was the record for India’s highest successful run-chase back then.

“Virat Kohli has played many unbelievable innings across the three formats, but this is one of his greatest innings from all points of view,” Gambhir told Star Sports.

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India lost the wicket of Gambhir in the first over and Kohli walked in at No 3 to take the run-chase by the scruff of its neck.

“First of all we were chasing 330, then India was 0/1, and then scoring 183 out of the 330 runs, that too against Pakistan, and that time, he was not that experienced too. According to me, I think probably this is one of Virat Kohli’s greatest innings, honestly,” Gambhir added.

Kohli’s 183 in Dhaka remains his highest ODI score till date as India chased the target down with 2.1 overs to spare. This innings came on the back of another special run-chase in Hobart when Kohli helped India to 321/3 in just 36.4 overs.

Earlier, in an interview with R Ashwin, Kohli had called that innings to be a game-changer for him in terms of mastering the art of run-chase

The only intent is to make the team win and in that process you start realising about your own game, that against any bowling attack and any team, I can go the distance and make my team win. That realisation happened while playing those games. That game turned out to be a game-changer for me.

..I fondly remember that game and Saeed Ajmal was at his peak. I clearly remember before we played a T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. It was a warm-up game and I got a 75 against them. In that main game, I scored 60 or 70 and we won that game. But in the warm-up game, I had told myself that I will play him as a leg spinner. Because his doosra was quite difficult to face and his off-spinner was not that lethal. So I decided to hit him over covers consistently and it just paid off.

As soon I negated his doosra then the potency of his threat became lesser and less. Even in that game I scored most of my runs against him through the off-side and kept doing that, playing against the turn. My only aim was to make him unsettled with his doosra and only then I am at the top of my game.

Watch: Virat Kohli on MS Dhoni’s role in taking over captaincy, his epic 183 against Pakistan & more

(With PTI inputs)