Virat Kohli's 5 most memorable moments in T20Is
Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate Dinesh Karthik said after the side's elimination from IPL 2024 that ended his cricketing career - ' With sports, there is no fairytale ending'. Well, try telling that to Kohli himself.
In a career full of shattering the myth, and breaking the mold, King Kohli added another feather to a cap already full of achievements and accolades. The champion batter walked away from T20Is in the most fairytale manner imaginable.
With Team India treading towards another ICC final disaster at 34/3 against an upbeat South African unit, Kohli calmed the Indian fans' nerves with another one of his pristine knocks. Embodying incredible resolve, defiance, and discipline, the 35-year-old scored a game-changing 76 off 59 deliveries to save the Men in Blue from the blushes.
Eventually, India won a cliffhanger by seven runs and Kohli happily walked into the T20I sunset as a World Champion and the Player of the Final. He announced his retirement from the T20I format during the post-match presentation.
The champion batter finishes his T20I career as the leading run-scorer in T20 World Cups and the second-highest behind Rohit Sharma in overall T20Is.
As the tributes continue to pour in for Kohli's remarkable T20I career, here is a look back on his five most memorable moments for India in the format.
# 5 First-ball wicket of Johnson Charles in 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final
Interestingly, we start with Virat Kohli's bowling heroics against the West Indies in the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final at No. 5.
After scoring a magnificent 47-ball 89 with the bat during India's batting innings of 192/2 in 20 overs, Kohli broke a crucial partnership with his first ball. With the West Indies motoring along at 116/2 in 13 overs, the top-order batter was surprisingly handed the ball by the then-skipper MS Dhoni.
And Kohli did not disappoint by bagging the well-set Johnson Charles for 52 to bring the big crowd at the Wankhede Stadium back on their feet. Unfortunately, the celebrations were short-lived as India suffered a heartbreaking seven-wicket defeat off the final over to have their title hopes crushed.
# 4 Aces brilliant run-chase vs SA in 2014 T20 World Cup semi-final
We are back to batting and back to what Virat Kohli does best - making improbable run-chases look easy. The game in question was the India-South Africa 2014 T20 World Cup semi-final clash at Mirpur.
After being set a daunting target of 173, the Indian batter struggled with the slow and low Mirpur wicket and a charged-up South African attack. However, King Kohli stood tall and withstood the fall of wickets at the other end to score a memorable 72* off 44 deliveries.
His knock, including five boundaries and two maximums, helped India complete a stunning run-chase by six wickets in the final over. While the side could not finish off the deal and lost in the final to Sri Lanka, Kohli scored another half-century in the contest.
He was also named the Player of the Tournament for scoring 319 runs at a stunning average of over 106.
# 3 Virat Kohli returns Kesrick Williams the 'notebook celebration' favor
Virat Kohli forgets nothing and the proof of that statement was seen during West Indies' T20I series in India in 2019. Pacer Kesrick Williams dismissed the Indian superstar and gave him the trademark 'notebook celebration' during the 2017 series between the sides.
Unfortunately, Williams paid the ultimate price for that act as Kohli returned the favor with an identical celebration. After smashing the West Indian pacer for a stunning maximum in the second ball of the 16th over, Kohli used his bat as a notebook and ticked Williams' name off.
And that wasn't all as the champion batter delivered another run-chase masterclass, scoring 94* off 50 deliveries to help India hunt down a massive 208 in only 18.4 overs.
# 2 Saves his best for the last in 2024 T20 World Cup
For all his innumerable T20I knocks in an illustrious career, Virat Kohli might one day rank his performance against South Africa in the final of the recently concluded T20 World Cup as his best.
While it wasn't his most fluent innings or even his fastest, the circumstances entering the contest made it doubly special. The 35-year-old had scored a dismal 75 runs in the first seven matches of the tournament at an average of under 11.
Yet, when India needed their champion the most at 34/3 in the fifth over, Kohli dropped anchor to produce another stellar World Cup display. The stylish right-hander scored 76 off 59 balls to help India post a competitive 176/7 in 20 overs.
The bowlers then took over and ensured India's victory by seven runs for Kohli to win his first T20 World Cup trophy and sign off on an extraordinary high in the format.
# 1 'That' shot off Haris Rauf in the 2022 T20 World Cup
How can anyone look beyond 'That' shot off Haris Rauf in the 2022 T20 World Cup for Virat Kohli's best T20I moment?
In front of a packed house at the MCG, India and Pakistan put on a show that came down to the wire. After scoring 159, Pakistan reduced India to 31/4 with victory within sight.
However, Kohli's blade stood between them and victory as the champion batter raced to 61 off 47 deliveries under duress to keep India in contention. The equation became stiffer with 28 to win off only eight deliveries when Kohli pulled what became the ICC's 'Shot of the Century'.
The 35-year-old punched a back-of-the-length Haris Rauf delivery off the back foot with a straight back for one of the best sixes ever seen in cricket history. The stunning shot brought the house down as fans stood in amazement.
He backed it up with another six off the following delivery as India eventually demoralized and completed a four-wicket victory off the final ball. Kohli finished on an amazing 82* off 53 balls in a knock that will forever be etched in the memories of Indian fans.