5 times when Virat Kohli got out in nervous 90’s

Here is a list of those nail-biting moments when Virat Kohli got out right when he was just around a few runs from scoring centuries.

Virat Kohli (Image via X)

There is no doubt that Virat Kohli is a top-class batsman in all forms of cricket, and over the years, he has been ruling the cricketing world in terms of performance, skills, consistency & fitness.

To date, Kohli has 80 splendid centuries against his name, with 50 coming in ODI’s, 29 in Tests, and one in T20Is. But this number could have been higher only if Kohli would have held his nerves during some nervous 90s.

He has been dismissed in the 90s eight times- six times in ODIs, and two times in Test cricket. Here is a list of those nail-biting moments when Virat Kohli got out right when he was just around a few runs from scoring centuries.

Related: Virat Kohli is the best contemporary batsman, check the stats as numbers don’t lie

91 vs Bangladesh, Dhaka, 2010

In the third ODI against the home team, India was chasing a target of 297 at Dhaka. India lost its first wicket very early in the innings, and Kohli was very young when he came to bat at no. 3 position.

In that innings, Kohli scored 91 runs and felt just 9 runs from a well-deserved century, as Shakib Al Hasan took his wicket in the last ball of the 35th over. Kohli stitched a crucial partnership of 152 with MS Dhoni. Kohli (91), Suresh Raina (51), and MS Dhoni (101) helped India chase down the target without further hiccups.

91 vs Australia, Perth, 2016

In the 5-match ODI series-opening game against Australia, India elected to bat first as the surface looked good for batting. But India lost a quick wicket, and all the eyes went up to King Kohli, who stitched a 207-run partnership with opener Rohit Sharma who destroyed the Australian bowling lineup by scoring 171* off 163 deliveries.

In the 45th over, James Faulkner dismissed Kohli on 91 runs. However, the Australian team won the match with the help of a vast 242-run partnership between Steve Smith and George Bailey.

96 vs South Africa, Wanderers, 2013

Here, India was playing their first test match after the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar. India elected to bat first and posted a score of 288 runs with the help of Virat Kohli’s fine innings of 114.

India, in their second innings, posted 421 runs, and Kohli would’ve become the first Indian No.4 batsman to score a century in both innings of a test match, but unfortunately, he managed to score only 96 runs.

95 vs New Zealand, Dharamshala, 2023

India locked horns with New Zealand in the home World Cup in 2023. After choosing to bowl first, the Men in Blue bundled out the Kiwis for 273 runs.

Following a decent start to the run chase, Kohli came to bat to play a 105-ball 95-run knock to guide India to a four-wicket victory. Had Kohli reached the 100, he would have scored his 49th ODI century in that match.

97 vs England, Trent Bridge, 2018

After losing the first two Test matches at Edgbaston and Lord’s. India was trailing by 0-2 in the 5-match Test series.

In the third game, Indian skipper Virat Kohli led from the front by scoring 97 off 152 balls in the first innings as he got out to leg spinner Adil Rashid when he was trying hard to hit it over the cover region. Still, just a glitch of timing, and the ball went to the 1st slip, where Ben Stokes took a comfortable catch.

In this game, batsmen like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara supported him well, which helped India make a possible comeback in the third game. Eventually, they defeated England by 203 runs.

92 vs Australia, Kolkata, 2017

The match was held at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, It was the second match of the five-match ODI series between India and Australia. The hosts batted first to post 252/10 courtesy of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane.

Batters were finding it tough to hit the ball which created pressure on the batters. Kohli and Rahane however, smashed their respective fifties. As Kohli was inching closer to his century, he became Nathan Coulter-Nile’s victim after reaching 92 from 107 balls.

99 vs West Indies, Visakhapatnam, 2013

In the three-match ODI series, India won the first game, and in the second ODI, India took the ground, looking forward to sealing it there. India came to bat first, and after a few overs, they lost opener Rohit Sharma for just 12 runs.

Later, run machine Kohli came to bat at no. 3 and built some crucial partnerships with Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina, which took India to a decent 288. Kohli got out to a Ravi Rampaul bouncer on 99 runs in the final ball of the 40th over. It was the first time in his career when he got out on 99.

Unluckily, India lost the match in the last over because of the phenomenal batting performance by all-rounder Daren Sammy who scored 63 off 45 with the help of 5 fours and 4 sixes.

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