Happy Birthday Virat Kohli: Five Remarkable Knocks by the Indian Run-Machine

Indian skipper Virat Kohli celebrates his 31st birthday on Tuesday (November 5, 2019). The batting stalwart is widely regarded as one of the best batsmen in world cricket. Kohli has proved his mettle in all forms of the game and is an absolute nightmare for the bowlers on the field. Since 2017, he has been the top-ranked ODI batsmen in the world and is also currently sitting 2nd in ICC Test rankings. He became India’s Test captain following the retirement of MS Dhoni and took the mantle of ODI captaincy in 2017. Kohli has made India a formidable force in world cricket and is a perfect role model for youngsters because of his dedication towards the sport and the hard work he puts in every day to keep on improving. Virat Kohli 31st Birthday Special: A Look at Records Held by India’s Batting Sensation.

Run-Machine Virat Kohli’s career has been defined by mammoth individual scores in all three formats of the game. Ever since his debut in 2008, Virat Kohli has gone past the records set by some of the greatest players in cricketing history with relative ease. Be it scoring at a fast rate in the first innings or gradually chasing down totals in the second innings once he gets past the 50-run mark, a century is almost guaranteed. Talking about Kohli’s run-scoring prowess, let’s take a look at his five best performances across all three formats. Virat Kohli Workout and Diet: Indian Cricket Team Skipper is a Fitness Freak And These Videos Are Proof! 

82* vs Australia in Mohali, 2016

In the group 2 match of ICC T20 World Cup 2016, Virat Kohli came up with one of the most special knocks we have ever seen in a T20I match. Chasing a target of 161 runs in a must-win game, India were 49 for 3 in the eighth over but a special knock from Kohli helped them to get over the line and reach the semi-finals at the expense of Australia. Virat Kohli finished the match not-out at 82 runs off 51 balls which included 9 fours and 2 sixes.

133* vs Sri Lanka in Hobart, 2012

Sri Lanka scored a mammoth total of 320 runs in their 50 overs, India needed to win the match in 40 overs to make sure they were not knocked out of the Commonwealth bank series in 2012. Kohli came to bat after the fall of the 2nd wicket and formed century-partnerships with both Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina. Bashing the Sri Lankan bowlers all over the ground Virat Kohli helped India to chase down the mammoth total in just 36.4 overs. His innings included 16 fours and 2 sixes.

183 vs Pakistan in Dhaka, 2012

Another India-Pakistan clash, another instance where Virat Kohli single-handedly takes his side over the line. This was Sachin Tendulkar’s last ODI match and Virat Kohli probably played the best innings of his career. Chasing a massive total of 330, India got off to a poor start as they lost Gautam Gambhir with zero runs on the board. A hundred run-partnership first between Virat Kohli – Sachin Tendulkar and then Virat Kohli - Rohit Sharma helped India to get a victory over their arch-rivals. Virat Kohli’s knock of 183 runs of 148 balls included 22 fours and 1 six.

254* vs South Africa in Pune, 2019

A fairly one-sided match which was dominated by the Indians. Kohli’s knock was an innings full of intensity and will power which broke the Proteas spirit as they never looked up to the task and lost the match by an innings and 137 runs. Virat scored 254* off 336 balls and while doing so became the first Indian to score seven double tons in Test cricket, going past Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, who are tied at 6 each.

115 & 141 vs Australia in Melbourne, 2014

Two of Virat Kohli’s finest knocks outside the sub-continent came against Australia in the 1st test of the 2014 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This was Virat’s first test as the skipper of India and he did not succumb to the pressure of captaincy instead scored centuries in both the innings. He scored 115 runs in the first innings but it was his knock of 141 while chasing a target of 364 on the final day that caught everyone’s eye. India eventually lost the match to Lyon’s genius but not before Virat Kohli had made a statement of intent.

After leading India to eleven successive test series win at home, Virat Kohli has been rested for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh. Virat Kohli will return into cricketing action when India and Bangladesh meet each other in the two-match test series starting from 14th November. India currently sit on top of the ICC World Test Championship table and will look to have Virat Kohli back in the best physical condition.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 05, 2019 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).