Sachin Tendulkar has labelled Virat Kohli's stunning 82 not out against Pakistan "the best innings of your life."

The former Indian star, who himself guided India home multiple times across all Test and ODI cricket - he played 200 Tests and 463 ODIs - played the back end of his career alongside Kohli.

Tendulkar retired from Test cricket in 2013, while Kohli, who is now 33, made his Test debut in 2011.

Kohli has now played 110 T20Is for India to go with 102 Tests and 262 ODIs, and while he has previously hit a century in the shortest format of the game, there are few performances which would go close to rivaling his performance at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday evening against Pakistan.

In front of over 90,000 fans, Kohli arrived at the crease early and watched partners fall at the other end, with India eventually 4 for 31 when he was joined by Hardik Pandya.

Pandya struggled to get going, and the required run rate blew out well north of ten as Kohli consolidated the innings, with the challenge looking an impossibility for India.

Kohli was 46 off 42 balls with just three overs to go, with India requiring 48. He would then score 36 runs from just 11 balls, including three 4s and three 6s in what was a stunning finish to the game.

India needed 28 off 8 balls when Kohli came on strike at the back end of the 19th over, with the former captain then dismantling Haris Rauf with a stunning shot down the ground to a slow short ball, before a bouncer disappeared over backward square leg.

The eventual winners still required 16 from the final over, but Kohli managed to get his side home, and Tendulkar believes the innings was better than his 82 against Australia in Mohali a few years ago.

"It was undoubtedly the best innings of your life. It was a treat to watch you play, the six off the back foot in the 19th over against Rauf over long on was spectacular!" Tendulkar tweeted.

The Mohali innings in 2021 saw Kohli also score 82, that time off 51 balls, with India having at one point being 3 for 49 off 7.4 overs chasing 160 scored by Australia.

Kohli seemed to agree, saying the run chase against Pakista is now his 'favourite' innings.

"Till today I have always said Mohali was my best innings, against Australia: I got 82 off 52 (51). Today I got 82 off 53. So they are exactly the same innings, but I think today I will count this one higher because of the magnitude of the game and what the situation was," Kohli said post game.

India will next play the Netherlands on Thursday evening in Sydney, while Pakistan travel west to play Zimbabwe in Perth, also on Thursday.