5 best moments from Virat Kohli’s Test career
On this day (June 20) in 2011, Team India's star batter Virat Kohli made his Test debut against West Indies at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. Having already made his ODI debut in 2008, international cricket was not new to him. However, Test cricket is a different cup of tea and the Delhi youngster discovered the same as he was dismissed for four and 15. In both innings, he was caught behind off pacer Fidel Edwards' bowling.
Kohli, however, overcame a jittery start and, in the next few years, went on to become a run-machine in the traditional format as well. Today, after having played 101 Tests, he has 8043 runs to his name at an average of 49.95 with 27 and 28 fifties. He has scored runs all over the globe in varied conditions.
Of course, the 33-year-old has been in the news for his lack of runs in recent times. He hasn’t scored an international hundred since November 2019 and will be hoping to turn a corner soon.
As he completes 11 years in Test cricket, we look back at five of his finest moments in the longer version of the game.
#5 Career-best Test score (254*)
Kohli’s career-best Test score of 254* came against South Africa in October 2019 in Pune in the second Test of the three-match series. Leading the side, the batter was absolutely dominant against a strong Proteas bowling unit featuring Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Keshav Maharaj.
India batted first and Kohli smashed an unbeaten 254 in 336 balls, scoring at a highly impressive strike rate of 75.79. He struck 33 fours and two sixes as India declared after posting 601 for five. The hosts went on to win the Test by an innings and 137 runs.
Time flies 🇮🇳
#20June #TestDebut https://t.co/eIktcGLg6i
Since this brilliant knock against South Africa, though, the former India captain has only scored one hundred in international cricket - 136 versus Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
#4 Hundred in each innings in Adelaide
In the absence of an unfit MS Dhoni, Kohli led the Indian team in Adelaide during the first Test of the Australian tour in December 2014. Australia posted 517 for seven declared after batting first, but Kohli’s 115 kept India in the hunt. He struck 12 fours as India replied with a fighting 444 in their first innings.
After the Aussies declared their second innings at 290 for five, India were set a challenging target of 364. Australia were on top after having reduced the visitors to 57 for two. However, Kohli launched a splendid counter-attack and caught the hosts off-guard.
Playing fearlessly, he smashed 141 off 175 balls. The stand-in skipper and Murali Vijay (99) added 185 for the third wicket to give India a genuine chance of winning the game. Once the stand was broken though, India crumbled to 315 all out. Despite the loss, Kohli’s twin hundreds set the template for the team’s future overseas wins.
#3 119 & 96 - (2013 Johannesburg Test)
South Africa is a country where a number of Indian batters have struggled. However, Kohli looked at complete ease during India’s tour to the Rainbow Nation in 2013-2014.
In the first Test of the series in Johannesburg, he scored 119 out of India’s total of 280 in the first innings. The knock came against a strong bowling line-up featuring Dale Steyn, Philander, Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis.
He had a chance to get a second hundred in the Test, but missed out narrowly as he was out for 96, caught off JP Duminy’s bowling. The two knocks were among the most dominant displays by an Indian batter in recent years.
The match ended in a tantalizing draw as South Africa finished on 450 for seven while chasing a target of 458.
#2 Proving a point during 2018 tour of England
When Kohli visited England in 2014, there were high expectations from him. However, he had a torrid tour, managing a paltry 134 runs in five Tests. He particularly struggled against James Anderson, who constantly troubled him outside the off stump.
Thus, when the batter returned to England in 2008, there was plenty of intrigue over how he would fare. It was an examination of his skills and he passed with flying colors. Answering all the critics, he smashed 593 runs in five Tests with two centuries and three fifties.
Even as India went down in the series, Kohli finished as the leading run-getter by some distance. Jos Buttler was the second-leading run-scorer with 349 runs. The Indian right-handed batter won a lot of praise for the commendable manner in which he overcame his demons.
#1 Historic Test series win in Australia in 2018-19
While it may be argued that Australia were a weak side without David Warner and Steve Smith during the 2018-19 series, India winning a Test series Down Under was still massive. The Indians never won a Test series in Australia, until Kohli’s men created history.
The aggressive captain gave it back to the Aussies in a series where tempers flared more than once. Not just as captain, Kohli’s contribution as a batter was also significant. He scored 282 runs in four matches at an average of 40.28 with one hundred and one fifty.
runs and counting...
#OnThisDay in 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣1️⃣, @imVkohli made his international debut in Test cricket against West Indies at Kingston. 🙌
The rest they say is history. 8️⃣0️⃣4️⃣3️⃣ runs and counting...❤
#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #ನಮ್ಮRCB #11YearsofViratKohli https://t.co/ANMRHiK5Tn
Critics might keep pointing out that India beat a weakened Australia in this series. But that wouldn’t change the fact that Kohli was the first Indian captain to win a Test series Down Under!
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