How has Virat Kohli fared in each Asia Cup?

A lot will depend on Virat Kohli when India travels to Sri Lanka for the 2023 Asia Cup.

While he may not be India's skipper anymore, Kohli is still the best ODI batter, with a plethora of runs behind him. He is expected to bat at his favorite No. 3 position, where he has scored over 10,000 ODI runs and dominated world cricket.

The Delhi-born lad also has a terrific record when playing against Asian countries. In a total of ten 50-over Asia Cup innings, Kohli has amassed 613 runs, including three centuries and a fifty. As far as the T20 format of the Asia Cup is concerned, the modern-day legend has mustered 429 runs at an immaculate average of 85.80 across nine innings.

As Kohli and India gear up to participate in the forthcoming edition of the Asia Cup, we take a look at how India's talisman Virat Kohli has fared in each edition of the Asia Cup.

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#5 2010 - 67 runs

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli go for a ride during Asia Cup 2010 [Getty Images]

Virat Kohli played his first Asia Cup back in 2010. While it didn't prove to be a fruitful one for Kohli, India did win the tournament by beating Sri Lanka in the final.

Kohli made only 67 runs at an average of 16.75 across four innings in the campaign. His highest score came against Sri Lanka in the final in Dambulla, where he made 28 off 34 balls, which included four boundaries.

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#4 2012 - 357 runs

Virat Kohli celebrates his century vs Pakistan [Getty Images]

The 2012 edition of the Asia Cup saw a hungrier version of Virat Kohli. While India did not qualify for the final that year, Kohli had a remarkable campaign on a personal note.

The Delhi-born lad dominated every opposition he faced and ended up as the highest run-getter of the series. His scores in the tournament were 108, 66, and 183, mustering a total of 357 runs at an average of 119.00.

His 183 against Pakistan was particularly spectacular as he helped India chase down 330 runs on a tricky deck in Dhaka, against a quality bowling attack. His authoritative knock in that game is still one of his best for India.

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#3 2014 - 189 runs

Virat Kohli raising his arms after a hundred vs Bangladesh [Getty Images]

Kohli captained India for the very first time in an Asia Cup in 2014. While he had a couple of decent knocks in the series, India finished third on the points table and failed to qualify for the final.

Kohli made 189 runs at an average of 63 across three innings in the 2014 Asia Cup. He also scored a fantastic 136 off 122 in India's first game against Bangladesh.

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#2 2016 - 153

Virat Kohli with Shikhar Dhawan at Asia Cup 2016 [Getty Images]

For the very first time, Asia Cup was played in the T20 format as it preceded the T20 World Cup and teams got to prepare for the major ICC event.

India entered the 2016 Asia Cup as strong favorites and fittingly won the tournament by beating Bangladesh in the final game in Dhaka.

Kohli, in particular, was at the top of his T20 powers at the time and made 153 runs at an average of 76.50 across four innings in the series. Only Sabbir Rahman (173 in five innings) made more runs than Kohli in the 2016 Asia Cup.

Kohli's match-saving knock of 49 off 51 balls against Pakistan in a low-scoring thriller proved to be one of the most influential innings of his T20I career.

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#1 2022 - 276 runs

India v Afghanistan - DP World Asia Cup

Kohli entered the 2022 Asia Cup on the back of a lean patch. He was also out of action for almost two months.

The break did wonders for him as he ended the tournament as the second-highest run-getter, with 276 runs at an average of 92.00 and at a strike rate of 147.59.

Although India were eliminated from the tournament after the Super Fours, Kohli regained his form in some style. He even reached his highly anticipated 71st international century when he scored his maiden T20I ton (122* off 61) against Afghanistan.

The 2022 Asia Cup was also played in the T-20 format.