Mumbai: Virat Kohli is arguably one of the best batsmen in the modern era. The India Test captain has mesmerised one and all, with his batting acumen, ever since he lead the country’s junior side to the U-19 World Cup win in 2008.
Since then, Kohli has gone on to become one of the best players in the international circuit, even drawing comparisons with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
Kohli has played many match-winning knocks during his career as an international cricketer. So as he turns 28 on Saturday, let’s take a look at some of his best knocks in international cricket, across all three formats of the game.
90* vs Australia, Adelaide T20I, 2016
It was a rather special day for both India and Australia, as the two countries renewed their rivalries at the Adelaide Oval, on January 26, 2016. While The Aussies were celebrating Australia Day, their Indian counterparts were observing their own Republic Day.
However, vice-captain Kohli completely stole the show, going on a rampage against the Australian bowlers. His 55-ball blitzkrieg helped India put up a challenging 188 runs in 20 overs, a total that Australia failed to chase down, being skittled out 35 runs short of the target.
133* vs Sri Lanka, Hobart ODI, 2012
We saw Kohli at his finest in limited overs cricket in this match. Sri Lanka had set India a mammoth target of 321 runs to chase down in 50 overs. This was always going to be a difficult run chase.
However, the presence of Virat Kohli at the crease greatly simplified things for the Men in Blue. His unbeated 133 runs off just 86 balls turned the match on its head, as India chased down the big total with as many as 80 balls remaining. Kohli, who steered India to the win, received good assistance from the likes of Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina in this innings.
119 vs South Africa, Johannesburg Test, 2013
The previous couple of innings may have been match-winning knocks by Kohli, but the star batsman also showed his versatility in 2013, when he scored a patient 119 against South Africa, in Johannesburg.
India always find it difficult in the overseas conditions, and Kohli’s patient approach in this game helped them earn a crucial draw.
183 vs Pakistan, Asia Cup Dhaka ODI, 2012
Any game between India and Pakistan is always a big occasion. Relations between the two countries have never been good. However, the two sides share a healthy rivalry between themselves, once they take to the cricket pitch.
Once again, Kohli played a gem of an innings, to help India chase down yet another big total pasted by their arch-rivals. Kohli’s 183 off 148 balls ensured that India never broke sweat, while chasing down a target of 330 with 13 balls remaining.
211 vs New Zealand, Indore Test, 2016
India vs NZ 2016, 2nd Test: Virat Kohli's 211 https://t.co/0SDHuOCFo9 #BCCI #INDvNZ
— DC Sports (@_DCSports) October 9, 2016
Under fire for his wayward form in the first two matches of the Test series, Kohli decided to up the ante in the third game against New Zealand, in Indore. He showed great patience to score 211 runs from 366 balls, scoring runs all over the park.
His innings helped India set the tone for the match, as they posted a massive 557 in the first innings. The hosts could have made the Kiwis follow-on, but decided against it, and went on to eventually win the match by 321 runs, inflicting a 3-0 whitewash upon New Zealand.
