Birthday Special : Revisiting Virat Kohli’s top 5 mesmerizing knocks on his 32nd birthday

A charismatic leader, a flamboyant batsman and a compassionate comrade, Indian captain Virat Kohli is the embodiment of greatness in modern-day cricket. Today Kohli, one of India’s finest batsman celebrates his 32nd birthday. From leading India to its second U19 World Cup title in 2008 to lifting the Indian team to the pinnacle of success across formats, the Delhi lad has come a long way in his cricketing career evolving into one of the best players the world has witnessed.

Breaking into the national team in 2008, Kohli has smashed records with ease in his international career which boasts of 21,901 international runs. On his 32nd birthday let’s visit his 5 best knocks of “the Chasemaster“.

1. 133* vs Sri Lanka, Hobart 2012

On 28th February 2012, the world witnessed the arrival of Kohli, “the Chasemaster” as he jumped to India‘s rescue in a crunch game yet again. Off to rocky start in the Commonwealth Bank Series, India was in a tough spot as they faced a dangerous Sri Lanka side in the 11th game of the series. Having put to bat first, Sri Lanka posted a daunting total of 320 riding on centuries from Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara.

India was upto the task as openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar gave them a steady start. But it didn’t last long as both openers were sent packing in close succession. The task now fell upon the able shoulders of Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli. And Delhi duo was upto the task as Kohli assumed the role of the aggressor. Kohli played an explosive knock of 133 off 86 balls to take the side home with 80 balls in hand. The knock served as the stepping stone for Kohli illustrative career as he grew in stature with every game he played.

2. 183 vs Pakistan, Mirpur 2012

India was once again in a difficult spot and this time it was in the Asia Cup 2012 as they faced Pakistan in a must-win game. To add to the pressure, Pakistan posted a humongous target of 330 after winning the toss. In a bid to keep their title hopes alive, India was off to a rough start as they lost opener Gautam Gambhir on the second ball of the innings. And a young Kohli walked in with his Hobart heroics against Sri Lanka bright as day in his mind.

Pairing first with Sachin Tendulkar and then Rohit Sharma, Kohli exploded wreaking havoc on the Pakistan bowling line-up which featured the likes of Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz. Unfortunately, he was dismissed 17 runs short of a double ton but Kohli’s career-high 183, which still remains his highest score in ODIs steered India to a comfortable victory against their arch-rivals.

3. 82* vs Australia, Mohali 2016

India went into the 2016 T20 World Cup as the favourites but found themselves in a tough spot at the fag end of the group stage. The hosts faced Australia in a virtual quarterfinal in their final group game. Batting first, Australia put up a decent total of 160 on the board. And were off to a fabulous start defending it as they choked the Indian batsmen from the word go.

But it seemed like Kohli played on a different wicket all together as he brought up yet another half-century in a chase. India was in a bit of a fix as they required 39 off the last 3 overs of the do or die game. Kohli exploded on James Faulkner, who bowled the 18th over, as he took him for 14 runs in the first three balls. The Chasemaster then picked Nathan Coulter-Nile for 16 runs in the penultimate over of the game before skipper MS Dhoni sealed a semifinal spot for his side with a boundary.

4. 141 vs Australia, Adelaide 2014

In his first game as Test captain, Kohli was up a herculean task as his side was chasing a huge total of 364 against Australia. Having hit a flamboyant 115 on the first innings, the Indian skipper was in early in the chase having lost Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara early.

Facing the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon, it was all about determination and focus for Kohli. But the young leader was unflustered with the pressure as he stitched a 185 run stand with opener Murli Vijay. But his gritty knock of 141 went in vain as a flurry of quick wickets saw the Aussies ake the take the game by 48 runs.

5. 103 vs England, Nottingham 2018

England is often considered Kohli’s kryptonite who had a tour to forget on his first visit back in 2014. The Delhi lad fell prey to England’s green pitches as he scored mere 134 runs in 10 innings. But it was a different story altogether when a refined Kohli toured the country leading his side as he amassed more than 500 runs in the 5 game series.

The Delhi lad played a superb knock of 103 in the second innings of the third Test to seal a 203 run victory for the side. Following up his brilliant 97 in the first innings, Kohli stitched important partnerships with Cheteswar Pujara and Hardik Pandya to put a humongous target of 521 on the board. The knock which was christened with his trademark cover drives and flicks reflected Kohli’s resilience and passion.

Also read : “Virat’s got an all-round game,” Root picks Kohli as the “most complete player” among the Fab Four

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