3 knockout games where Virat Kohli could not get his team past the finishing line
When you talk about modern-day chase masters, there is one name that will instantly come to mind, and that man is - the Indian captain, Virat Kohli.
The legend of Kohli is essentially built on his ability to manoeuvre a run-chase with death-defying ease and precision. While his first ODI ton came in a run-chase (against Sri Lanka in 2009), he rose to prominence truly when he annihilated the Sri Lankan attack at Hobart that helped India chase down 321 in a mere 36 overs.
Since then, Kohli has established himself as the chase-master for whom any target is within the realms of reality whether it is Mirpur 2012, where he registered his career-best 183 to chase down 338 against Pakistan or Jaipur 2013, where he en-route to the fastest ODI ton by an Indian, massacred the Aussies to help India chase down 360.
Kohli's presence gives India an assurance that any target can be chased down, however, on the flip side, it also puts a humongous pressure on the team whenever Kohli fails to get going in a run-chase.
In this article, we take a look at three such instances when Virat Kohli failed to take his team past the finishing line in a run-chase:
#3 India vs Australia, 2015, Sydney Cricket Ground
Occasion: ICC Cricket World Cup, Semi-Final, 2015
The defending World Champions, India came into the all-important semi-finals against hosts Australia on the back of a seven-match winning streak.
Australia batted first and courtesy of pristine hundreds from Aaron Finch and Steven Smith racked up 328-7 in 50 overs.
In reply, India got off to a blazing start courtsey Shikhar Dhawan but they still needed their talisman Virat Kohli to do an encore of what he has been famous for - a century in a run-chase.
Kohli had started off the tournament in blazing style with a ton against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval but his form tapered off as the tournament progressed.
His form reached its nadir during the semi-finals when in an attempt to pull the ball off Mitchell Johnson, he top-edged the ball straight up in the air only to be gobbled by Brad Haddin, ending India's hopes of retaining their World Cup title.
India was eventually bowled out for 233 in 46.5 overs to hand Australia the ticket to the World Cup finals and Kohli received loads of unwanted flak for his failure in the all-important semi-finals.