The first indication that this might be Virat Kohli’s night came when Ibrahim Zadran at deep mid-wicket parried a straightforward offering off a pull from Mohammad Nabi over the fence. Opening the batting for the first time in this Asia Cup after skipper Rohit Sharma sat out the inconsequential last league game against Afghanistan, Kohli was then 28, out of 63 without loss.

At that stage, though, there was no hint of what was in store. Not then, and not even when he breezed to his third fifty of the tournament in only 32 balls as he and stand-in captain KL Rahul brought up India’s first century stand.