Throwback: When Virat Kohli made the Adelaide Oval his happy hunting ground
Virat Kohli has enjoyed batting at the Adelaide Oval like very few have, even from the Australian side, over the years. Yet, his recent performances at the venue haven't reflected that narrative.
Kohli missed out in both innings of the recently concluded second Test of the ongoing series at Adelaide with scores of 7 and 11. His poor showing led to India suffering a ten-wicket defeat and levelling the five-match series at 1-1.
Nevertheless, his Test career took off when he scored his maiden Test century at the Adelaide Oval in 2012. Battling to establish himself in the Indian Test side, Kohli overcame severe verbal attacks from the Australian players and the hostile Aussie crowd to score 116 off 213 balls, batting at No.6.
While his heroics could not help India avoid a massive 298-run defeat, Kohli had made a loud statement that he was here to stay. The champion batter has almost always been at his best in Tests Down Under since, averaging almost 53 in 15 outings.
Virat Kohli's overall Test record at Adelaide
Following his majestic century in the first innings of the Adelaide Test in 2012, Virat Kohli was unfortunately run out for 22 in the second innings.
However, that did not stop him from dominating at the venue in the next Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2014/15. Kohli smashed centuries in both innings of the series opener at Adelaide to almost take India to a famous win.
A 184-ball 115 helped India stay within touching distance with a first-innings total of 444 in response to Australia's 517/7 declared. Yet, it was the second innings when Kohli's legacy grew leaps and bounds as he produced one of the most memorable knocks by an Indian batter.
Chasing an improbable 364 on the final day, Kohli smashed 141 off 175 balls to propel India within touching distance of a famous win. However, his dismissal and a lower-order collapse meant they fell short by 48 runs in what was Kohli's first Test as Indian captain.
Kohli's next Test outing at the Adelaide Oval saw him struggle with scores of only 3 and 34 despite India winning by 31 runs.
His latest efforts at the venue before the ongoing series came in the 2020/21 tour when he overcame challenging conditions to score 74 in the first innings. However, Kohli scored only 4 in the second innings as India were bowled out for their lowest-ever Test total of 36.
Overall, the veteran batter has scored 527 runs in five Tests at Adelaide with an average of 52.70, including three centuries and a half-century.