3 times Virat Kohli failed to convert his 50 in a tight run chase
Virat Kohli and run chases have often been synonymous with one another over the past decade as India's no. 3 has owned many a run chase, especially in the limited overs format. While his overall record in One Day Internationals (ODIs) is nothing short of sensational, his record while chasing is even better.
The right-hander averages an incredible 57 in ODIs, at an impressive strike rate of 94 across 274 matches. But even more so, his numbers in successful run chases are other-worldly, as he averages an extraordinary 89 in 94 Matches. He has scored 22 of his 46 ODI centuries in successful run chases for India.
Took the highest-scoring 50 innings stretches of all Indian Batters (with 2000+runs), here’s how the estimated greatest Indian ODI batting peaks turned out:
1. Kohli
2. Tendulkar
3. Ganguly
4. Rohit
5. Sehwag
6. Yuvraj
7. Dhoni
Thoughts? Any Surprises? https://t.co/2KstROJzgQ
Referred to as the "Chase Master," Kohli's performances in run chases have revolutionized the art of chasing targets from top-order batsmen. Despite these accolades, Kohli has struggled to convert half-centuries into match-winning hundreds in the recent past.
In the recently concluded three-match series against Australia, Kohli went past a half-century, but a sudden loss in concentration caused him to play a false shot that led to his downfall. Similar instances occurred in the ODI series against the Proteas in 2022, when he lost his wicket after reaching a half-century, leaving India short of their target.
Here's a look at three instances where Virat Kohli failed to convert a half-century into a big score in a failed run chase:
#1 Virat Kohli's 89 VS Australia, 2nd ODI, SCG, 2020
India's tour of Australia in 2020/21 began with a three-match ODI series before the Border Gavaskar trophy. The hosts won the first ODI by a convincing margin of 66 runs. In the second ODI, India were set a mammoth target of 390 to chase in their 50 overs to stay alive in the series.
The Openers got the team off to a brisk start but were dismissed soon after to leave the visitors placed at a precarious 60/2 in the 9th over. Coming in at no. 3, Kohli started in blistering fashion and had good partnerships with Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, getting India into a strong position at 225/4 in 34 overs.
However, with the required run rate consistently climbing, the mountain proved to be too steep even for Kohli, as he was eventually dismissed for 89 from 87 balls by Josh Hazelwood off a spectacular catch by Moises Henriques. His dismissal left the team with too stiff of a task as they fell short by 51 runs and went down 2-0 in the best-of-three series.
#2 Virat Kohli's 66 VS England, Birmingham, 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup
Team India entered the 2019 World Cup as one of the title favorites alongside hosts England. The battle between the two top-ranked teams was the most anticipated match of the league stages of the World Cup. While the Men in Blue were sitting pretty at the top of the table, England were in a must-win situation, having lost their previous encounters to defending champions Australia, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.
England won the toss and batted first on a placid Edgbaston wicket, finishing with a massive total of 337/7 in their 50 overs. In reply, India lost opener KL Rahul in just the third over of the innings. Kohli walked in at no. 3 and stabilized the innings with an array of classy strokes. In partnership with Rohit Sharma, the Delhi batsman took India to 146/1 in the 28th over.
With the game seemingly slipping away and the hosts beginning to panic, a skiddy back-of-the-length delivery from Liam Plunkett dismissed the right-hander for 66 as he steered it straight into the hands of the fielder at backward point. With Kohli's dismissal, India's hopes began to slip away as they ended up 31 runs short of England's total to lose their first match of the World Cup.
#3 Virat Kohli's 77 VS South Africa, 3rd ODI, Rajkot, 2015
The Proteas toured India in late 2015 for three T20s, four tests, and five ODIs. Both teams were coming off disappointing semi-final exits in the World cup a few months prior. The series began with the visitors winning the first ODI, followed by India squaring the series at once apiece with a victory in the second.
In the critical third ODI between two evenly matched sides, it was South Africa who won the toss and elected to bat first on a slow Rajkot pitch. On the back of a stylish century by Quinton de Kock, the Proteas posted a competitive 270/7 in their 50 overs.
India started their run chase solidly, and despite the loss of Shikhar Dhawan for 13, they were well placed at 113-1 in 23 overs. But with the pitch slowing down considerably, Kohli struggled to get his timing right as he scratched his way to a half-century.
However, with the required rate increasing, his patience eventually ran out and he holed out to the deep as India went on to lose by 18 runs. The great batsman tried to pull off another one of his classic run chases but was dismissed for 77 off 99 balls as India fell 2-1 behind in the series.