A batter par excellence, India's Virat Kohli observes his 36th birthday today (November 5), and in celebration of the Indian batter's special day, lets us look into the maestro's best knocks against Australia in the famous Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), which interestingly is just around the corner, commencing November 22. Virat Kohli Set To Take Over As Captain of RCB Ahead of IPL 2025: Report.

115 and 141 vs Australia, Adelaide 2014

A hallmark of any great batter is scoring runs against Australia, who are considered to be the best across conditions, and more so in their home conditions in Australia, where Kohli first made his mark in BGT 2024-15.

On his sudden captaincy debut, Kohli smacked a stoic 115 in the first innings, which highlighted the batter's ability to play the bouncing ball. Despite the barrage of bouncers, Kohli did not miss a chance to drive on the front foot and stamped his authority while doing so.

In the second innings on a crumbly and turning pitch, Kohli displayed grit and determination, while facing an uphill battle. Kohli showcased his technical prowess with the bat and gave a masterclass on how to bat flawlessly against a quality spinner. Kohli's 141 came off 175 balls and contained one six and 16 fours.

Virat Kohli Slams 141 vs Australia

 

169 vs Australia, Melbourne 2014

In a series, where Kohli came into his element and tarnished Australia's famous bowling attack, the 169 at Melbourne Cricket Ground is any batter's dream knock. Already 0-2 down, Kohli produced a knock for the ages, where his battle against Mitchell Johnson for immortalised. Kohli fought against his own rage and over-aggressive approach kept his head down and stockpiled runs, which was of paramount importance, giving birth to a more mature batter.  Kohli struck a remarkable 169 off 272 balls, which included 18 fours. Glenn Maxwell Reveals Virat Kohli Blocked Him on Instagram for Mocking Star Indian Batsman's Shoulder Injury in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2017.

Virat Kohli's Magnificent 169 At MCG

123 vs Australia, Perth 2018

Virat Kohli, much like Sachin Tendulkar remained a lone warrior for India on several occasions, when the batting collapsed. Kohli braved a fierce bowling attack at Perth during BGT 2018-19, and single-handedly kept India in the hunt, slamming a stellar 123. Unlike his other knocks, Kohli grinded in the middle for runs and did not showcase his flashy batting-style, during his 257-ball stay.

Virat Kohli's Masterclass At Perth

 

 

186 vs Australia, Ahmedabad 2023

Undergoing a lean patch, Virat Kohli served a memorable knock against Australia during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Ahmedabad on a docile pitch. Kohli looked like a changed version of himself, just batted for time and scored runs whenever available, without taking any risks or looking fazed. The innings witnessed Kohli showcase great command and also had him in doubt, which only highlights his greatness, in overcoming such troubles midway through a knock.

Virat Kohli Regains Form Against Australia

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 05, 2024 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).