- Virat Kohli’s three most memorable, game-changing hits: From a stunning comeback in Hobart to a challenging fourth innings in Adelaide, these three innings showcased Virat Kohli at his best.
- Virat Kohli’s three most memorable match-changing hits (Photo Source: BCCI) Virat Kohli has delivered some of the most memorable batting performances in international cricket across all formats and conditions.
- Three rounds in particular stand out for the pressure under which they took place and the context that surrounded each of them.
Virat Kohli’s three most memorable, game-changing hits: From a stunning comeback in Hobart to a challenging fourth innings in Adelaide, these three innings showcased Virat Kohli at his best.
Virat Kohli’s three most memorable match-changing hits (Photo Source: BCCI) Virat Kohli has delivered some of the most memorable batting performances in international cricket across all formats and conditions. Three rounds in particular stand out for the pressure under which they took place and the context that surrounded each of them. These blows range from a hunt for bonus points in Australia to a pristine English pitch to a damaged surface in Adelaide on day five, each revealing a different dimension of Kohli’s batting prowess.
Here are Virat Kohli’s three most impressive performances: 1. 133* against Sri Lanka, Hobart, 2012 Virat Kohli against Sri Lanka, 2013. (Photo Source: Scott Barbour/) At the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on February 28, 2012, India had to chase down 321 in 40 overs against Sri Lanka to earn a bonus point and keep alive their final hopes in the Commonwealth Bank Triangular Series.
Kohli came into the game at 86 for 2 and scored 133* from 86 balls, hitting 16 fours and 2 sixes at a strike rate of 154.65 with India completing the chase in 36.4 overs. Sri Lanka’s total was based on Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 160* and Kumar Sangakkara’s 105, and Lasith Malinga was among the bowlers tasked with defending. Kohli scored 44 runs from 15 deliveries off Malinga alone, including 24 runs in a single over, and added a 115-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir heading into the final stages.
It was also his sixth ODI hundred in the chase, an early sign of his reputation as a chase specialist. 149 vs England, Edgbaston, 2018 England bowler James Anderson watches Indian batsman Virat Kohli score a few runs. (Photo by Stu Forster/) On August 1, 2018, Kohli turned out to bat for India in the first Test of the series against England in Edgbaston, Birmingham, in scorching English conditions, with the team in the middle of a match.
He scored 149 off 225 balls, hit 22 fours and 1 six and single-handedly rescued India’s innings from a precarious situation. The sleeves had extra weight due to what was in front of them. During his last tour of England in 2014, Kohli had scored just 134 runs in 10 innings at an average of 13.40.
The 149 at Edgbaston in 2018 was his first Test century on English soil and is widely regarded as his best Test innings, even though India lost the game. 141 vs Australia, Adelaide, 2014 Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter) At the Adelaide Oval on December 9, 2014, in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Kohli led India into the fourth innings while chasing 364 to victory on a deteriorating pitch on the fifth day.
He scored 141 off 175 balls and shared a 185-run partnership with Murali Vijay, who contributed 99, while Nathan Lyon spun the ball sharply throughout. It was Kohli’s first Test as ctain after he was given the role after MS Dhoni was unavailable for the game. Despite all efforts, India failed to achieve the target.
Kohli had also scored 115 runs in the first innings of the same match, becoming only the fourth Indian to score centuries in both innings of a Test.
