[Watch] On this day in 2012, Virat Kohli's scintillating 133* led India to famous win over Sri Lanka in Hobart

Star Team India's batter Virat Kohli dazzled fans with an awe-inspiring knock against Sri Lanka in Hobart on February 28, 2012, in the CB Tri-Series.

The MS Dhoni-led Indian side were under enormous pressure ahead of the fixture, knowing that a loss here would end their hopes of reaching the final of the tri-series. Additionally, the margin of victory was also very critical, as they were in desperate need of a bonus point to make it to the final.

The Men in Blue won the toss and chose to field first in the must-win clash. Tillakaratne Dilshan's authoritative unbeaten knock of 160, along with Kumar Sangakkara's 105-run innings, helped Sri Lanka register an imposing total of 320.

While it was a challenging target for an ODI game, India needed to chase it down in 40 overs, which made it an even more daunting task. However, a young Kohli rose to the occasion, stamping his class against a formidable bowling attack.

Coming in to bat at No.4, Virat Kohli was very calculative early on, scoring about run-a-ball until he completed a half-century. He changed gears at the right time, upping the ante to put pressure on the opposition.

Even Lasith Malinga, one of the greatest exponents of death bowling, looked pale in front of Kohli's onslaught. The right-handed batter smacked the speedster for a six and four boundaries off successive deliveries in the 35th over.

India ultimately chased down the target in 36.4 overs. Virat Kohli's unconquered 133 runs off just 86 deliveries is still recognized as one of his finest ODI innings by many fans and experts alike.

Here's a video of his batting exploits against Sri Lanka in Hobart:

Notably, the match-winning century proved to be a turning point in Kohli's career as he went on a run-making spree from there on. He followed it up with scores of 108, 66, 183, and 106 to amass 596 runs across five ODI innings.

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"I discussed with Raina that we will set up the chase as if we are playing two T20 matches" - Virat Kohli on chasing 321 runs in 36.4 overs

Speaking to Bangladeshi opener Tamim Iqbal during an Instagram live session in May 2020, Virat Kohli mentioned that he backs himself to take his side to victory while chasing, irrespective of what the target is.

Recalling his whirlwind knock against Sri Lanka in Hobart, the Indian batter revealed that he approached the chase as if it were two T20 matches. He said:

"When it comes to chasing targets, my mental state is simple -- if someone says something to me from the opposition side, then I get more motivated. When I was younger, I used to watch matches on television. If India did not end up winning the match while chasing targets, I used to think if I was there, I would have won the match"

"There was a game in Hobart against Sri Lanka, where we had to chase 330 odd in 40 overs to qualify for the finals. I discussed with [Suresh] Raina that we will set up the chase as if we are playing two T20 matches"

Virat Kohli earned the title of "Chase Master" after having guided India to a number of memorable victories in big run chases. He has 26 ODI centuries to his name while chasing, the most by any player.