Virat Kohli's 5 best Border Gavaskar Trophy knocks
While he won't be leading the team anymore, all eyes will be on Virat Kohli when India take on Australia in the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur. There is plenty of anticipation and build-up for India's first home Test series against Australia since 2017, especially after India's iconic win in the 20/21 BGT Down Under.
Virat Kohli has had a wonderful run against Australia as captain, winning the 2017 and 2018/19 Border Gavaskar Trophies, while also playing a part in the 20/21 win. As for his batting, he has scored nearly 1700 runs in twenty matches, averaging 48.05 in BGT matches, with seven hundreds to his name.
Kohli has played many memorable knocks against Australia in Test cricket. Let's take a look at the top five.
#5 123 at the WACA, Perth, 2018-19
This was an underrated knock that came in a losing cause during India's historic 2-1 series win in 2018/19. Virat Kohli was the lone warrior for India, as Australia beat the visitors at the WACA without Steve Smith or David Warner.
Most of the Indian side just couldn't handle the pace and bounce of the Perth wicket, with no one barring Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane making much of an impact with the bat. While Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari faced plenty of balls as well, the duo couldn't score enough runs to support Kohli.
However, Virat Kohli was in sublime form, batting for more than six hours to build a 257-ball 123 knock to take India to within 50 runs of Australia's first-inning total. However, the Indian batters simply folded in the second innings, getting cleaned out for 140 in a chase of 287.
#4 107 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, 2013
The only knock at home on this list, Virat Kohli's hundred was overshadowed by an MS Dhoni double hundred in the same game. On a batting-friendly track that offered some assistance to the spinners, Kohli built some crucial partnerships en route to his hundred.
India were struggling at 12/2 at one point in the game, looking to beat the Aussies' first innings total of 380. Kohli joined Sachin Tendulkar at the crease when they went down to 95/3 and his partnerships with Tendulkar and MS Dhoni left India in a good position when he finally got out after making a 206-ball 107.
India ended up winning the match by eight wickets.
#3 169 at the MCG, Melbourne, 2014-15
Next on the list is a mammoth knock on one of the biggest occasions in world cricket, the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game was memorable as it marked the passing of the baton from MS Dhoni to Virat Kohli, with Dhoni announcing his retirement from Test cricket post this game.
While Dhoni himself didn't taste much success in the game, Virat Kohli was in full flow on a batter-friendly surface. Walking into bat after a solid platform had been set by Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, Kohli was the glue that held India's innings together. He had a glorious 262-run partnership along with Rahane, who scored 147 runs.
While Steve Smith's 192 and Dhoni's retirement overshadowed Virat Kohli's brilliance, this was another special knock from the Delhi-born batter.
#2 147 at the SCG, Sydney, 2014-15
Kohli followed up the 169 at the MCG with a hundred on his captaincy debut, a stellar 147 in the fourth and final Test of the series at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Walking into bat after Rohit Sharma's half-century, Virat Kohli joined forces with a young KL Rahul to build India's innings.
While Rahul fell after his maiden Test ton, Kohli stood strong at one end, building vital partnerships with Rahane and Wriddhiman Saha before falling for a well-made 147. India's lower-order put on a good rearguard batting display, with Ravichandran Ashwin's half-century helping India reach 475 in the first innings.
While Steve Smith's side set India a steep target of 349 in the fourth innings, the Indian batters held out for a draw, with Kohli contributing a 95-ball 46.
#1 116 at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 2011-12
He has scored plenty of centuries since then, but there's nothing as special as a player's maiden Test hundred. Virat Kohli got his first century amidst a star-studded lineup Down Under at the Adelaide Oval. Virender Sehwag captained India in this Test match, which the Aussies eventually won by 298 runs.
Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke both made double-hundreds as Australia thrashed the Indian bowlers on a good batting surface. When it was India's time to bat, the big names Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and Gautam Gambhir couldn't deliver. However, Virat Kohli, batting at No.6, produced an excellent display.
With India struggling at 111/5, Kohli and Saha built a 114-run stand, but post the latter's dismissal, Kohli had no support from the lower order. Kohli was the last man to fall, finishing with a 213-ball 116 as India scored 272 in response to Australia's 604/7.