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Virat Kohli's top 3 Test knocks in the Pataudi Trophy

Virat Kohli's 149 v England: Edgbaston 2018 (Getty Images)
Virat Kohli's 149 v England: Edgbaston 2018 (Getty Images)

When Virat Kohli first stepped onto English shores to play Test cricket in 2014, he was unable to connect the bat to the ball and make a head or tail of the swinging conditions.

Kohli managed just 134 runs in 10 innings in the 2014 Pataudi Trophy, a massive failure for a man who had been conquering the cricketing world one-by-one up until then.

However, being the champion he is, Virat came back stronger in the 2018 Pataudi Trophy to score 593 runs in 10 innings. He continued a stable run of form in the 2021 Pataudi Trophy with 218 runs at an average of 31.14. Virat Kohli was the fifth-highest run-scorer in a series where batters from both teams struggled.

On that note, let’s look at Virat Kohli’s top 3 Test innings in England.

#3) 103 (197), Nottingham 2018

3rd Test. 93.4: WICKET! V Kohli (103) is out, lbw Chris Woakes, 281/4 bcci.tv/england-v-indi… #EngvInd

The Indian team were able to secure a massive lead of 168 at the end of the English first innings courtesy of the skipper's 97 and deputy Ajinkya Rahane's 81 in the first innings of the match. This was by an incredible five-wicket haul by Hardik Pandya in brilliant bowling conditions.

Coming in to bat at 111-2 and a lead of 279 in the third innings, Virat Kohli played almost all his shots with a monk-like control, flicking nearly every delivery that was bowled on his pads. He had also stitched together a 113-run partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara.

Kohli was comfortable playing all the bowlers of the English attack. He did not have any difficulty reaching his century in the second innings after missing out by 3 runs in the first innings. Hardik Pandya’s blistering run-a-ball 52 at the end gave England a humongous target of 521 runs, which the home side fell short of by quite a margin.

#2) 97 (152), Nottingham 2018

While skipper Virat Kohli looked to be in scintillating form, his team were already down 0-2 in the series with three matches to go. The visitors desperately needed a victory to stay alive in the series, which called for another inspired performance by the captain.

Walking in to bat at a precarious 65-2 after the openers failed to capitalize on their starts, skipper Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rahane stitched together an important 159-run partnership since being 82-3 at Lunch on Day 1.

Kohli was particularly confident with his drives and left nothing to chance in his entire innings. A flighted delivery by Adil Rashid, however, was not judged properly and a catch to first slip tragically ended a well-built innings at 97.

The Indian team went on to lose their last five wickets for just fifty runs, showing how important this innings turned out to be. Virat followed up with a century in the second innings to ensure India won the Test and got back in the series with two games to be played.

#1) 149 (225), Edgbaston 2018

Innings Break!

Virat Kohli gets out after a sensational knock of 149, #TeamIndia all out for 274. Trail England 287 by 13 runs.

#ENGvIND https://t.co/7rEKYkur9r

While Virat Kohli was the star batter of the team in 2014, he returned to England for the 2018 Pataudi Trophy as an icon and the captain of the Indian cricket team in all formats of the game. However, Kohli's inability to have conquered the English conditions seemed to be a chink in his armor.

England won the toss and chose to bat first in their first innings, putting on a solid total of 287 courtesy of captain Joe Root's well-built 80 and Jonny Bairstow’s quickfire 70. In response, India fell from 50-0 to 59-3, and it was up to Virat Kohli once again to stabilize the innings.

What followed next was an absolute batting masterclass, as the skipper not only held up one end but also single-handedly scored a whopping 54% of the runs to take India just shy of England’s first innings total. To put this in perspective, Kohli scored 149 runs in his comeback innings amidst all the pressure while no other batter in his team crossed 30.

While an unfortunate Indian collapse in the second innings saw the visitors fall just short of the target. However, the 31-run loss might have been a calamitous humiliation if not for Kohli’s splendid display not just in batsmanship but in mental strength as well.

Kohli currently averages 31.04 in the 2021 Pataudi Trophy at the end of the 4th Test, a rather average performance for a man of his caliber. Can the former Test captain add another memorable century to his kitty in the challenging English conditions at Edgbaston?

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