4 Greatest overseas Test innings played by Virat Kohli
The fact that he managed to play more deliveries in the first Test at Edgbaston than the total number of deliveries he faced in the five-Test series in 2014 speaks volumes of his temperamental transformation and his responsibility as a skipper.
Virat Kohli has come a long way as a Test Cricketer. From being criticised and panned for his lacklustre performances on the tour of England in 2014, where he averaged a meager 13, to coming out and emerging as the sole flag bearer on the current tour of England, Kohli's transformation in the Test arena has been a fairytale in itself.
Kohli has been the only silver lining in an otherwise lackadaisical Indian batting line-up in the ongoing Test series so far.
While he managed to score more than 45% of team India's runs in the first Test, the rest of the batsmen struggled to reach double figures, with top order batsmen like Dhawan, Vijay and vice-captain Rahane struggling to find their feet.
Kohli has played some exceptional Test knocks over the past few years. Let us have look at some his greatest overseas Test knocks here.
#1 116 vs Australia, Adelaide 2012
In a series which was swept 4-0 by Australia and ended up as a disaster for team India, Kohli's coming of age was the sole consolation.
Team India had been hammered in the first three Tests and the plot in the final Test was no different as the Indian top order, which included stalwarts such as Sachin, Dravid, and Laxman failed to stand up to the challenge posed by the Australian pacers.
However, Virat Kohli, who was still struggling to find his feet in Test Cricket, stood up to the Aussies to make a statement.
Coming into the Test, Kohli was under a bit of pressure as he'd managed only 162 runs in the first three Tests and the team management wanted to exclude him in favour of Rohit Sharma. Skipper Dhoni and his deputy Sehwag though pressed for Kohli's inclusion and he did not disappoint them.
In an innings where the next highest score was Gambhir's 38, Kohli strode along like a single man army to take India to a respectable total as he scored his maiden Test century.
Coming in to bat at a time when the Indians were teetering at 87 for 4, Kohli forged a terrific 114-run partnership with Saha.
After Saha's dismissal, Kohli made sure that he protected the tail as he took most of the strike and went on accumulating runs at a brisk pace. In the end, Kohli was the last man to be dismissed after scoring 116 as he took India to a respectable 272
India though lost the match by a huge margin of 298. However, the bright side was that this match produced the birth of a Test batsman with terrific temperament who would go on to essay some of the best innings in Indian Test history.
This match also marked the beginning of Kohli's love affair with the Adelaide Oval.