In which year did Virat Kohli score the most international centuries?
The legendary Virat Kohli, who has been at the forefront of all good things related to the Indian cricket team's batting, is reaching the sunset of his career although he may still have another two or three years of cricket left in him.
The Delhi batter has been exceptional in his international career so far, having amassed 8,947, 13,906 and 4,188 runs in Tests, ODIs and T20Is, respectively. He has also piled up 80 tons across all three formats so far.
The former India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain has inspired an entire generation of cricketers to follow in his footsteps, and that is perhaps the greatest impact he has had on the sport as a whole. He scored an astounding 11 centuries in 2017 and 2018 each, although he did so in fewer innings in the latter year.
In this piece, we take a look at the top five years in which Kohli was the most prolific in international cricket:
#5 2014 - 8 centuries
Kohli, who made his debut in international cricket in the year 2008, took some time to find his feet at the biggest stage. It was in 2014 that he truly unleashed his potential and gave a glimpse to the world of what he could become.
Although he had scored eight centuries two years ago in 2012 as well, his four tons in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia towards the end of the year in 2014 (one of which came in 2015) marked him out as a player to watch out for.
Earlier in the year, Kohli had stunned all and sundry with his impeccable technique and application against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington with an unbeaten 105 in a drawn encounter.
#4 2012 - 8 centuries
2012 was the first year in which Kohli stamped his authority in international cricket and gave an inkling of what was about to come. His first Test ton too came in this year, against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
A couple more Test tons at home against New Zealand and England established Kohli as the next big thing to watch out for in Indian cricket, although it was in ODIs where he reached his zenith with five centuries.
The greatest of his ODI tons this year - and perhaps his entire career - was an unbeaten 133 that he got under his belt while chasing an improbable 321 inside 40 overs against Sri Lanka in Hobart in a tri-nation series.
#3 2023 - 8 centuries
2023 was one of the best years for Kohli in international cricket, as he amassed eight centuries in it. He bagged six of those tons in ODIs, at an average of 72 while the other two he scored in Test cricket, an at average of 55.
Kohli piled up 2,053 runs in the 35 matches he played across all formats in this year, with the ICC Men's ODI World Cup being the marquee tournament in which India fell short at the final hurdle to Australia.
#2 2017 - 11 centuries
2017 was a phenomenal year for Kohli in which he outdid himself to score 11 centuries across all three formats of the game. He was at his best in ODIs wherein he picked up six centuries at an average of 76.84.
The Delhi batter played in 48 matches this calendar year and amassed 2,818 runs at an average of 68.73, which is nothing short of exceptional at the highest level of the game. He was in a rich vein of form that year.
#1 2018 - 11 centuries
2018 was the most prolific year in Kohli's career in international cricket. Although he had scored 11 centuries in the year before this as well, he scored his runs off fewer innings with almost a like-for-like average of 68.37.
In the 37 matches he played across all three formats, Kohli piled up 2,735 runs which included 11 centuries and nine half-centuries. His highest score of the year was the unbeaten 160 he got against South Africa in an ODI in Cape Town.
Despite his dream-like run this year, Kohli still comes second on the list of the batters with the most number of tons in a calendar year. This record is still held by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 12 centuries in 1998.