5 times Virat Kohli waged a lone battle with a Test fifty ft. Centurion 2023
The skillset and adaptability Virat Kohli possesses make it almost impossible for another batter to match his standards.
Maybe that's the reason why Virat finds himself fighting alone for his respective teams in every format and tournament. And maybe that's what distinguishes him from others, making him people's favorites.
Like his idol Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli has also been blessed with immense batsmanship in molding his game to every condition. His stubbornness and temperament help him to keep fighting against all odds and come out victorious each time.
In this article, we will discuss some of his innings, where he was the one who, against all odds, fought the lone battle for India in Test matches.
5 times Virat Kohli waged a lone battle with a Test fifty
#5 - 75 against Australia, Perth, 2012
In what was a horrendous batting performance in both innings from India in Perth in 2012, where they got bundled out for 161 and 171 runs in the first and second innings, respectively, it was Virat's 75 runs that saved the embarrassment for India.
Australia gained a huge first-innings lead of 208 runs thanks to a magnificent 180-run knock from David Warner.
India needed to bat out of their skin to avoid the innings defeat, with Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle breathing fire.
But Indian batters faltered again, barring Virat Kohli, who tried his best to make Australia bat again, but to no avail.
#4 - 74 against Australia, Adelaide 2020
A Test match, which is mostly known for India getting all out for 36 runs, overshadowed the batting masterclass from Virat Kohli against the Pink Ball under the lights in Adelaide in 2020.
With the scorecard reading 32/2, Virat displayed astute perfection in handling the notorious pink ball, which is known to swing much more than the red one.
With a small partnership with other batters, he bailed India to safe shores. But he had a disastrous miscommunication to get run out before scoring a brilliant 74.
#3 - 51 against England, Edgbaston, 2018
In a Test match that India should have won comfortably, other batters hardly supported Virat Kohli.
Chasing 193 runs, it was India's game to lose, and they did lose it with some ordinary batting displays at Edgbaston in 2018.
No other batter applied themselves, barring Virat, who fought till the very end to make his team cross the line. His 51 went in vain, with England sneaking out a 31-run win, with Ben Stokes scalping four wickets.
#2 - 79 against South Africa, Cape Town, 2022
In 2022, South Africa, after losing the first Test, made a splendid comeback to level the series and had momentum with them. They did come hard at the Indian batters in the series decider at Cape Town and reduced them to 33/2.
It all boiled down to Virat Kohli storming the weather against the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi.
He did what he was expected to do and batted with great resilience to register yet another half-century. But with no support from the other end, Kohli needed to play his shots, which eventually cost him his wicket at the score of 79.
Had this innings not come, India, who ended up with 223 in the first innings, would have been bundled out for a total of 150.
#1 - 76 against South Africa, Centurion, 2023
It is not often that a thing of beauty that captivates you in a glum loss in a Test match is a player's performance.
The openers were gone too soon in the recently concluded Test match at Centurion. With the innings defeat looking imminent, Kohli was out in the middle with dense, fluffy black clouds making their presence felt.
The ball was doing plenty on a pitch with decent pace and good carry. There was movement in the air and off the seam, and Kagiso Rabada and Nandre Burger were making the most of it.
But, as good as these two were, Virat Kohli was better and mentally stronger.
Kohli allowed the ball to come to him and he set himself up with a steady base, with his feet leading his hands and his head still. The icing on the cake was that he played the ball right under his nose, and each time he made clean contact, the ball whistled through the off side, all along the turf.
The 35-year-old was playing with intent, and he seemed to have lost the mojo in the last 2–3 years. But once again, he didn't get support.
To make South Africa bat again, India needed to cross the 163-run mark. However, Indian batters threw away their wickets with irresponsible shots, leaving Kohli to do the dirty job once again.
He did try his level best, only to fall by 32 runs, with him getting out for a personal score of 76 runs.