Team India talisman Virat Kohli made history in the Super-4 clash of the Asia Cup against Pakistan, becoming the quickest to complete 13,000 runs in One-Day Internationals (ODIs).

With an unbeaten knock of 122 runs in 94 deliveries against Babar Azam and his men, Virat Kohli shattered his idol Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing record of being the fastest to reach 13,000 runs in the 50-over format.

While Sachin Tendulkar needed 321 essays to touch the 13,000-run milestone, Virat Kohli required only 267 innings to accomplish the landmark.

Soon after Virat Kohli blazed through his 47th century in ODIs, he began trending on social media, and fans started praising him for tearing the Pakistani attack apart.

 

However, this was not the only accomplishment the 34-year-old premier India batter attained during his knock against Pakistan.

Remarkably, this was Virat Kohli's 47th ODI hundred, leaving him just two behind Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49.

Also, his century against the Green Army was his fourth successive ton at the R Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lanka, making him the second man to do so at a single venue in international cricket.

Before him, former South African batter Hashim Amla achieved a similar feat at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion.

Notably, this is India's highest score against Pakistan in ODIs, equaling the 356/9 at Visakhapatnam in 2005, which marked the arrival of the legendary MS Dhoni, who struck a scintillating 148 in that contest.

Moreover, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul were engaged in an unbroken stand of 233. It is the highest partnership for any wicket for India against Pakistan. Kohli and Rahul surpassed Sachin Tendulkar and Navjot Singh Sidhu's 231-run stand the duo achieved in 1996.

With Virat Kohli and KL Rahul taking the Pakistani bowling attack to the cleaners, India posted a mammoth score of 356/2 on the board.

In reply, Babar Azam and his boys felt the heat in their run chase from the beginning, with Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya delivering them early blows.

Subsequently, left-arm unorthodox spinner Kuldeep Yadav bamboozled the Pakistani middle-order, picking up an impressive 5/25 to complete India's biggest victory over the neighboring side by 228 runs.

An ecstatic Virat Kohli credited his partnership with KL Rahul for India's strong showing in the contest.

“I always prepared my game in a way I can help the team. Today was a classic example of you don't get off to a good start… KL started better, I was trying to bring him on strike and playing second fiddle. And yes, then after that I stepped up where I could. I take a lot of pride in fitness. Pushing for doubles are easy runs, compared to a big shot. It has paid off before, hope to continue in the same way,” Virat Kohli said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

Virat Kohli described his partnership with KL Rahul as the classic example of two conventional players delivering the goods with good cricketing shots.

“Both KL and myself are both conventional players. And when you have him batting the way he was and me playing, its tough to break these partnerships because we don't play fancy shots. We didn't think about the partnership too much, the idea was to ‘keep batting.' It is one of the memorable partnerships we've had and for Indian cricket as well. He hit form for us straightaway, good for us,” the Delhi-born superstar added.

With the India-Pakistan match finishing on a reserve day, Virat Kohli was asked about playing on Tuesday, when the Men in Blue will be up against the home team, Sri Lanka, at the same venue in Colombo.

To this, he replied: “It's the first time I have done anything like this in 15 years of cricket. Luckily we are Test players, so we know how to come back the next day and play. Recovery is crucial. It was humid out there today. I am 35 in November, so I need to take care of my recovery.”

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul's knocks earned them rich plaudits from Pakistan great Waqar Younis.

“The difference between him and other players, even Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin Tendulkar, when he finished, had 49 hundreds (ODIs). I can promise you Virat is a long way from finishing his career or being done with cricket. He will end up with a lot more (hundreds) than anybody can think,” Waqar Younis said on Star Sports.

“I felt sorry for KL Rahul because he was coming out of injury and he had to run with this man. He runs like a crazy man. Doesn't miss a single, doesn't miss any extra run because he wants to be the best. He wants to be the best in anything he does, batting, fielding or running between the wickets. And what he loves himself is his work on fitness,” the former Pakistan speedster concluded.