To cherish Kohli’s Test career, here and a few knocks that have defined his career.
1. 52 and 63 vs West Indies 3rd Test, Mumbai, Nov 22 – 26 2011
India’s Virat Kohli plays a shot during the final day of their third and final test cricket match against West Indies in Mumbai November 26, 2011 (Image: Reuters)Virat Kohli was just three years into his international career and had played only three Tests when he got to play India’s third Test against during the West Indies tour of India in 2011. It was Kohli’s first Test on Indian soil. The match is best known for being only the second-ever Test to have ended in a draw with the scores level. The match is also fondly recalled for Ravichandran Ashwin’s heroics with the bat as the leg spinner scored a brisk hundred in India’s first innings. But amid all the drama a young Kohli had forged back-to-back fifties — 52 in the first innings and 63 in the second innings — to announce himself on the big stage. These were Kohli’s first fifties in Test cricket. The second fifty was significant as it had confirmed the batter’s spot in India’s Test squad for Australia.
2. 116 vs Australia 4th Test, Adelaide, Jan 24 – 28 2012
Virat Kohli of India celebrates after reaching 100 runs during their third day of the fourth Test cricket match against Australia in Adelaide (Image: Reuters)India’s four-match Test series against Australia during 2011-12 was proving to be a disaster. The team had succumbed to crushing defeats in the first three Tests. The likes of Gautam Gambir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and VVS Laxman had all failed to score even a hundred. Things were looking gloomy yet again as batting first in the fourth Test as Adelaide, Australia had posted a monumental 604/7 thanks to double-hundreds from Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke. In reply, India was reduced to 87/4, and that was when Kohli walked out to the middle. From No.6, with only a little help from the other end, Kohli notched a gritty hundred. It was Kohli’s first Test ton and that too abroad. While other batters kept losing their wickets, Kohli refused to give up and was only the last Indian batter to be out. By then Kohli had hit 11 fours and a six to score a valiant 116 from 213 balls. India lost the Adelaide Test too, but Kohli’s bravado had given the team a promise for the future.
3. 119 and 96 vs South Africa, 1st Test, Johannesburg, Dec 18 – 22 2013
Virat Kohli vs South Africa 1st Test Johannesburg (Image: AFP)In Test cricket, South Africa remains an unconquered territory for India. But in December 2013 at Johannesburg, India almost had a chance to go 1-0 up in the two-match Test series against South Africa. Batting first India scored 280 thanks to Virat Kohli’s 119. India had a narrow 36-run lead heading into their second innings. In India’s second outing, Cheteshwar Pujara scored 153 and Kohli hit 96 to set a target of 458. In the chase, South Africa managed 450/7 and the match concluded in a thrilling draw. For his 119 and 96, Kohli won the Player of the Match award.
4. 105* vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Wellington, Feb 14 – 18 2014
India’s Virat Kohli acknowledges his 100 against New Zealand during the second innings of play on day five of the second international test cricket match at the Basin Reserve in Wellington (Image: Reuters)In the second Test of the two-match Test series in New Zealand, India was set a huge total of 435 thanks to New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum’s historical triple hundred. In the chase, India was reeling at 10/2. But against the odds and battling a bowling attack comprising of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner, Virat Kohli scored a glorious 105 not-out to salvage a draw for his side. This was also the first time that Kohli had scored a century in a second innings of a Test.
5. 115 and 141 vs Australia, 1st Test, Adelaide, Dec 9 – 13 2014
Virat Kohli walks back to a standing ovation after scoring his second hundred in the Test against Australia at Adelaide Oval (Image: AFP)The twin hundreds at Adelaide Oval in the first Test against Australia during the 2014-15 tour were special for multiple reasons. The match marked Kohli’s Test captaincy debut. It was the first time in his career, that Kohli had hit tons in each innings of a Test. The swashbuckling 141 in the second innings almost took India home in a chase of 364, but India fell short by only 48 runs. By notching hundreds Kohli became only the second batter in the history of the game to make two hundred in a Test on captaincy debut. The feat also put Kohli alongside legends Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, and Rahul Dravid as the batters to have hit hundreds in each innings of a Test. Since then, only Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma have managed to repeat the feat.
6. 200 vs West Indies, 1st Test, North Sound, Jul 21 – 24 2016
Virat Kohli celebrates his maiden double ton against West Indies, during 1st Test, Antigua (Image: AP)With seven scores of 200 or more, Virat Kohli holds the record of most double hundreds in Test by a skipper. But the first of those seven double-centuries was hit against the West Indies in the first Test of India’s 2016 tour of West Indies. Combined with R Ashwin’s contribution with both the ball and the bat, India recorded their first innings win in the West Indies and their biggest outside Asia.
7. 104* vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Kolkata, Nov 16 – 20 2017
Virat Kohli celebrates his 50th international ton during India’s 1st Test against Sri Lanka in Kolkata (Image: BCCI)The 104* from Virat Kohli’s bat in the first Test at Eden Gardens during Sri Lanka’s tour of India in 2017 was a milestone event. It was Kohli’s 18th Test century and it took the batter’s international ton tally to 50. The hundred gave India an outside chance to win the match. Sri Lanka was 75/7 chasing 231, but the Lankans hung on to pull off an absolutely absorbing draw.
8. 54 and 41 vs South Africa, 3rd Test, Johannesburg, Jan 24 – 27 2018
India’s Virat Kohli plays a shot during India’s third Test against South Africa in Johannesburg (Image: Reuters)In the three-match Test series against South Africa during India’s 2018 tour, India was 0-2 down beaten thoroughly by the Proteas. On a treacherous pitch, Kohli batted with grit and notched a fifty in the first innings and a fighting 41 in the second innings. The two knocks from Kohli on an extremely tough surface helped India to record only their third Test win in South Africa and finish the series on a high.
9. 149 vs England 1st Test, Birmingham, Aug 1 – 4 2018
India’s Virat Kohli celebrates scoring a century against England in the first Test at Birmingham (Image: Reuters)In 2014 Virat Kohli had a disastrous tour of England where he managed scores of 1, 8, 25, 0, 39, 28, 0, 7, 6, and 20 in five Tests, averaging 13.50 in his 10 innings. So, all eyes were on Kohli as India began the five-match Test series against England starting with the Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham. In response to England’s first innings total of 287, Kohli came up with a spirited 149 hitting 22 fours and a six. Most importantly Kohli dominated England pacer James Anderson, who had troubled him a lot during the 2014 hour. Kohli added 51 in the second innings to complete 200 runs for the match. It was a start of a special series for Kohli as he went on getting 593 runs across five Tests.
10 254* vs South Africa 2nd Test, Pune, Oct 10 – 13 2019
Virat Kohli celebrates his 254 vs South Africa (Image: BCCI)In the second Test in Pune during South Africa’s 2019 tour of India Virat Kohli brought out his dominating best while batting. Kohli punished a helpless South African bowling attack to notch his seventh double ton. Kohli went on to score an unbeaten 254 in the first innings which helped India beat the Africans by an innings and 137 runs. 254 not out remains Kohli’s highest score in a Test match. It also made Kohli the Test captain with most double hundreds.
11. 136 vs Bangladesh, 2nd Test (D/N), Kolkata, Nov 22 – 24 2019
Virat Kohli enjoys against Bangladesh after becoming the first Indian batter to notch a hundred in a Day-Night Test (Image: BCCI)India played their first-ever Day/Night Test in 2019 against Bangladesh at Kolkata’s Eden Garden Stadium. Virat Kohli seized the occasion as he hit a fantastic 136 to become the first Indian batter to reach a three-figure mark in a Day/Night Test match. The feat swelled Kohli’s achievements test cricket. It was Kohli’s 70th international Test ton. The world now waits for Kohli’s 71st.
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