Kohli hails Yuvraj as India rout Pakistan

Of the four batsmen that came to the crease as India piled up 319 for three in their rain-reduced 48 overs, three -- Rohit Sharma (91), Kohli (81 not out) and Shikhar Dhawan (68) -- all made more than Yuvraj's 53.

Yet the way the experienced left-hander -- Sunday's match was his 297th one-day international -- took just 32 balls to score his runs saw the 35-year-old named man-of-the-match.

His speed of scoring gave Kohli, who initially struggled for fluency, time to find his touch during a third-wicket partnership of 93 in 59 balls that took a game of several rain interruptions away from Pakistan.

In the end, Kohli was in complete command as India scored an astounding 72 runs in their last four overs, with Hardik Pandya hitting three successive sixes off left-arm spinner Imad Wasim just before the innings ended.

Yet some of Yuvraj's shots were breathtaking, particularly the way in which he drove a near yorker from paceman Hasan Ali down the ground for one of his eight fours.

"Yuvi's innings, I think, was the game-changing innings," Kohli told reporters.

"I felt like a club batsman while playing alongside Yuvi, the way he was hitting the ball. He took all the pressure off me and played the way only he can."

It might all have been so different had Pakistan not dropped two relatively straightforward catches when Yuvraj was on eight and Kohli on 43.

But there was no denying the way India rose to the occasion in front of a capacity crowd as they recorded their seventh straight win over Pakistan at an International Cricket Council global event.

"The way we played and the confidence we showed was very pleasing, the guys were raring to go and willing to take up the pressure," said Kohli.

"From a team point of view this was a massive win for us at the start of a big tournament.