5 memorable ODI centuries by Virat Kohli
The master of run chases, Virat Kohli's career has been defined by mammoth individual scores in the ODIs. Ever since his debut in 2008, Kohli has gone past some of the greatest players in the cricketing history and at only 29, has the second most number of centuries, behind only his mentor Sachin Tendulkar. Be it scoring rapidly in the first innings or chasing steadily in the second innings, once Kohli crosses the 50-run mark, a score of 100 or more is almost confirmed. With Captain Kohli scoring another ODI hundred last night against South Africa, we take a look at some of his most memorable hundreds in ODIs.
#5 133 against Sri Lanka (Hobart , 2012)
Fighting to stay in the tri-series in order to successfully defend their title, India had the daunting task of not only beating Sri Lanka, but winning the match with a bonus point. Batting first, Sri Lanka set India a target of 321 to be scored at over 8 runs an over, to stay in the contention in the competition.
Coming in to bat at the fall of the 2nd wicket, Kohli etched century-plus partnerships with both Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina. Bashing the Sri Lankan bowlers all over the ground, especially Lasith Malinga, who was hit for 24 runs in the 35th over, Kohli took India to a memorable victory in just 36.4 overs, helping them earn the bonus point that kept them alive in the series. Although India failed to make it to the finals, Kohli's incredible 133 from 86 balls gave Indians fans a ray of hope that night.