Neat cover drives, immaculate placement, sharp fielding and unparalleled passion for the game: Virat Kohli is a cricketer whose life perfectly embodies the epithet, ‘special’. From the time he led India to the Under-19 World Cup triumph in 2008 to lifting the national Test team to the pinnacle of world cricket, the man is a modern cricketing giant who continues toppling records without much fuss. From a chubby, brash youngster to a dignified gentleman, Kohli’s evolution has been splendid. As the nation celebrates his 32nd birthday, here are five special innings that capture this transition perfectly:-
1. Hobart 2012: When Kohli took Malinga apart
Lasith Malinga is undoubtedly a white-ball bowling legend, and at his peak, it was nigh impossible to hit the Sri Lankan for boundaries. But, February 28th 2012 had a different story to tell, courtesy a young boy from Delhi.
To put things in context, it was the 11th game of the Commonwealth Bank Series, and India had performed abysmally until then. They had to win with a huge margin to stay in contention for the finals. Hopes further dipped with Sri Lanka posting 320 on the board in the first innings, and India expected to chase within 40 overs to stand a mathematical chance to qualify.
Although Sehwag and Tendulkar gave India a rollicking start, their dismissals meant that the middle-order had a massive task at hand. Virat Kohli looked in his zone from the very outset and launched into the Sri Lankan bowlers. Gautam Gambhir too scored a resolute fifty, but chasing the total in 40 overs seemed improbable. Suresh Raina cashed in on a few freebies, but it was the 35th over by Lasith Malinga that got etched in history. After getting to a hundred, Kohli smashed the Sri Lankan speedster for 24 runs in an over, and Malinga could only afford to smile and submit to some pure artistry. Capping a turnaround of epic proportions, India won in 36.4 overs, staying alive in the competition. The soon to be anointed ‘chase-master’ had given a solid account of his skills. Virat Kohli was the toast of Hobart!
2. Mirpur, 2012: When Kohli deflated Pakistan:
If anyone might have felt that Hobart was a one-off, they were proved horribly wrong within a couple of weeks. The situation was no different, as India required 330 runs to stay alive in the Asia Cup. The only difference was that the game was being played against arch-rivals Pakistan, and the proverbial pressure was immense.
Kohli entered the crease with India at 133/2, and stitched a splendid partnership with Rohit Sharma. Rohit rotated the strike with aplomb, while Kohli donned his newly-found hat of the aggressor. The likes of Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz were carted for boundaries all across the ground. Kohli was batting at a level few had envisaged he would attain, but as the world would know, this was simply the benchmark he would go on to set for himself. He was dismissed seventeen runs shy of a double ton, but his 183 took India to a memorable win. Within the span of a month, Kohli had risen several notches in stature, and the best was yet to come!
3. Adelaide, 2014: Impossible stands for ‘I’m possible’:
Fifth Day, sweltering heat, foreign conditions, First Test as captain, 364 runs to win, opponent Australia: this deadly combination can dishearten any player, but Virat Kohli is cut off a different cloth. While experts were concerned about the prospects of a draw, or rained-out final day, Kohli’s mind was elsewhere, focussed on a word that meant the most to him: WIN.
Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara were dismissed cheaply, when Kohli joined Murali Vijay. He had done a fine job in his first test as captain, having scored a brilliant hundred in the first innings. But, he had a mountain to climb in the second. His steely determination and resolve helped him take his game to the next level. He played some gorgeous shots, and applied pressure on the Australian bowling attack. At 242-2, the game had suddenly tilted in favour of India, before a flurry of wickets lifted Australia to a victory. Kohli’s 141, however, can easily go down as one of the most stellar counter-attacking innings in the history of Test cricket. It also showed the world the kind of cricket they could expect with this man at the helm!
4. Mohali, 2016: When Australia submitted to a masterclass:
India had entered the ICC World T20 2016 as firm favourites, but the hosts had stuttered in the group stage, as they played Australia in a virtual quarter-final. With 162 to get, the Australian bowlers strangled the Indian batsmen, as runs were hard to come by. Virat Kohli, though, batted with great temerity to fetch himself another half-century.
With 39 needed off 3 overs, the match was well-poised, though Australia had their noses ahead courtesy their death bowling prowess. James Faulkner bowled the 18th over, and Virat Kohli hit him for two fours on the trot. The third ball sailed into the long-on stands, and the legend Gavaskar was chuffed to bits describing that marvellous shot on air. Kohli single-handedly won India the game with 6 balls to spare. He had added another chapter to his illustrious profile, and that innings of 82 not out was one to cherish.
5. Nottingham 2018: Kohli dispels ghosts of the past
As India reached the shores of England to play a 5-match Test series, there was lot of talk in the air about Virat Kohli’s batting in those conditions. This was largely owing to his disastrous tour four years back, when he managed a measly 134 runs in 10 innings. He cast aside any such apprehensions with a masterful century in the first Test, though it came in a losing cause.
It was, however, the third match that saw Virat Kohli at his imperious best. After scoring a gritty 97 in the first innings, he took the game out of England’s reach with a hundred in the second, leading India to a memorable victory. With over 500 runs in the series, surely, the ghosts of 2014 had been vanquished!
