India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup: Kohli and Rahul's tons propel Men in Blue to 356/2; Netizens hail 'outstanding' centuries

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul had been building a steady partnership on Sunday during India’s Asia Cup 2023 Super Four clash against Pakistan in Colombo.

The two were new to the crease after openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were dismissed in quick succession after scoring fifties, with Pakistan starting to claw back in the game.

It was an entirely different story on Monday after the Super Four clash was moved to the Reserve Day due to incessant rain. Both Kohli and Rahul would end up batting the remaining 25.5 overs of the Indian innings, would bring up centuries and stretch their unbroken third-wicket stand to 233.

LIVE: India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup Super Four (Reserve Day) match in Colombo

As a result of their mammoth unbroken partnership, Team India ended up posting a sizeable 356/2 on the board, greatly boosting their chances of collecting their second win in as many outings against their arch rivals.

It was a heroic comeback for Rahul, who replaced Shreyas Iyer in the playing XI and made his first competitive appearance since suffering a thigh injury during the Indian Premier League (IPL) in May.

Read | What happens if India vs Pakistan Super Four clash gets washed out?

Rahul, who announced himself with a couple of crisp boundaries on Sunday before rain washed out the remainder of the day, brought up the three-figure mark at run-a-ball. It his sixth in ODIs and 15th overall in international cricket, and helped dispel any doubts over his status as a first-choice player for the team in the 50-over format.

The Lucknow Super Giants captain would remain unbeaten on 111 off 106 deliveries, collecting 12 fours and two sixes along the way.

Kohli, meanwhile, brought up century No 47 in One-Day Internationals, inching closer to Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record of 49 ODI centuries and also taking his international tally 77. The former India captain brought up the milestone in the 48th over of the Indian innings, collecting a single off Shaheen Shah Afridi.

After playing second fiddle to Rahul for a majority of the innings, Kohli would tee off in the death over and would finish the top-scorer for his side, remaining unbeaten on 122 off just 94 balls with nine fours and three maximums.

It was a forgettable outing for the Pakistan bowlers on Monday. The Afridi-led pace attack had, after all, decimated the Indian top-order in the Group A clash in Pallekele on 2 September, reducing them to 66/4 at one stage, and would eventually bowl them out for 266. Afridi would end up conceding 79 runs for just one wicket in the Super Four clash, with leg-spinner Shadab Khan finishing with figures of 1/71.

Kohli and Rahul’s tons also set social media ablaze, with fans and experts taking to microblogging platform ‘X’ to express their joy. We take a look at select reactions here: