The King, Virat Kohli is back and how!

Virat Kohli is undoubtedly the best limited-overs batsman in the world right now, particularly in the ODI format. Virat Kohli is only second on the record for most ODI hundreds in International cricket, with 46. And, maybe, the Indian captain will surpass Sachin Tendulkar, who currently leads the charts with 49 ODI hundreds. He has surpassed Mahela Jayawardene to become the sixth-best ODI run-scorer. He has already scored 12754 runs in ODIs.

He scored his third ODI century in the last four innings against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram. But that is a slightly misleading way of putting it. There was a Test series after the first hundred in that sequence, against Bangladesh last month, and Kohli conceded that things didn’t go as planned for him there. Then, in the first One-Day International against Sri Lanka, he hit another century. While it was an aggressive inning, it wasn’t without flaws. On 52 and 81, he was granted a reprieve. His 166 from 110 balls on Sunday, on the other hand, was flawless.

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Kohli at his fluent best

He was as nasty as he had ever been. On 82, he came dangerously close to getting dismissed when he chipped Lahiru Kumara towards long-on. Despite the fact that the fielder was a few yards inside the boundary line, the ball went over for a six. Kohli achieved his half-century in 48 balls and completed his 46th ODI century in the next 37 balls. By the end of the year, he might be the first hitter to score 50 ODI hundreds, shattering Tendulkar’s record of 49. Kohli batted with a similar strike rate in the first ODI as well. He’d made his fifty in 47 balls and his hundred in 80.

However, he appeared to be running on fumes after that. On Sunday, though, this was not the case. In fact, he effortlessly shifted into a higher gear. He hammered three fours and seven sixes in the 25 balls he faced after getting his hundred. Rajitha hit a helicopter shot to a slower ball for one of the sixes. He needed only 21 balls to get his third fifty. His 106-ball 150 was India’s second-fastest 150, after only Ishan Kishan’s 103-ball effort during his double-century against Bangladesh last month. Kohli struck eight sixes in all, his best in an ODI. An anchor may not have a role in a modern T20 lineup. There is, though, in ODIs. At least for the time being. Prior to the 2022 Asia Cup, Kohli went three years without scoring an international century. According to Kohli, his 42-day sabbatical from cricket from the end of the England trip till the start of the Asia Cup placed him back in a good mental place, and his current form is a result of that. Let us take a look at his top 5 knocks in ODIs before he hit the rough patch.

133* vs Sri Lanka at Hobart, Tri-Series 2012

Virat had previously hit 10 centuries in ODI cricket before this inning in Hobart, and he was a well-established component of the Indian ODI setup. But his 133* against Sri Lanka in Hobart drew the attention of the world to this youthful prodigy who would likely control the sport for the next two decades. Though his match-winning knock was unable to propel India to the CB series final, it did bring in a new chapter in Kohli’s cricketing career. India were chasing a gigantic total of 321 in Hobart against a high-quality Sri Lanka attack, and they needed to hammer down the score in just 40 overs to advance to the tri-series finals. Sri Lanka scored 320 after Tilakaratne Dilshan batted 160 and Kumar Sangakkara added 100. In response, India got off to a fast start, owing to Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar’s 54-run opening stand in 6.4 overs. However, neither of the Indian openers was able to translate their starts into a major hit. Virat Kohli went in and joined Gautam Gambhir in the middle after Tendulkar fell in the ninth over.

Despite Tendulkar and Sehwag’s strong start, the equation appeared daunting. Both Gambhir and Kohli were challenged with keeping the momentum and scoring pace going against a Sri Lanka assault that included Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Farveez Mahroof, and Rangana Herath. Virat Kohli, on the other hand, delivered an incredible ODI batting masterclass. Kohli initially demonstrated signs of what was to come in Hobart, including his unrivalled ability to chase totals under duress. Kohli planned to be busy and proactive in the middle from the start.

Lasith Malinga bowled a yorker at him in the first over he faced, but Virat Kohli was up to the task, slapping it to the mid-wicket boundary. Kohli kept the scorers busy by hitting singles and turning ones into twos. The rare boundary kept India in the game as Kohli and Gambhir put on a century-plus stand for the third wicket. Gambhir, on the other hand, was run out on 63, just when it appeared the senior batsmen would alter gears. When Gambhir returned to the pavilion, India still needed 121 off 76 balls. Just as Sri Lanka was under pressure on one end after Suresh Raina came in at No. 5, Kohli changed gears.

After one of the most famous big-hitting displays by Kohli, India crossed the finish line in 36.4 overs. Few will forget Kohli’s 24-run over from Malinga in the 35th over of the contest. Malinga, who was at the prime of his powers, continued throwing yorkers, which Kohli kept rejecting for boundaries. The figures for the 35th over are 2, 6, 4, 4, 4, 4. Malinga and the rest of the Sri Lankan fielders were stunned. Kohli declared his presence and demonstrated that he would dominate world cricket for the next decade.

183 vs Pakistan in Dhaka, Asia Cup 2012

Kohli was at his finest against Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup at Mirpur in Dhaka, only three weeks after delivering a gem of an inning in Hobart. Walking in at No.3, Kohli notched up 183 runs to set up an easy India triumph against the ‘Men in Green’. Chasing 330, India completed their then-highest ODI run-chase with two overs to spare. This would not have been possible without Kohli’s superb performance. After losing a wicket in the opening over, Kohli grabbed command and destroyed Pakistan’s bowling assault. His 183-run knock from 148 balls contained 22 fours and a single six. Even today, it is Kohli’s highest individual ODI score for India.

100* vs Australia at Jaipur, 2013

In 2013, Virat Kohli scored the fastest ODI century by an Indian batsman against Australia. He broke Virender Sehwag’s 2009 record of a century in 60 balls against New Zealand. Virat Kohli’s undefeated innings of 100 in 52 deliveries contained eight fours and seven sixes, paving the way for India to secure another spectacular victory while chasing 360 runs.

India chased down 359 runs in 43.3 overs, the highest-ever ODI chase. It was another historic innings in Kohli’s ODI career, as he demonstrated his explosive talents by scoring at a strike rate of 192.

122 vs England at Pune, 2017

Kohli struck a magnificent century under challenging circumstances in his maiden series as India’s full-time ODI captain. Alongside the score at 63 and four wickets down, Virat rose to the occasion with Kedar Jadhav and stitched a match-winning 200-run stand. Although he did not win the player of the match, his 122-ball century was one of his better ODI performances as a skipper. This was his 27th ODI century and fifth as team captain.

160* vs South Africa at Capetown, 2018

Virat Kohli hit one of his best ODI hundreds while batting first in the third ODI against South Africa in Capetown in 2018. This was his 13th century while aiming, and his 34th overall. What truly stood out in this innings was that he scored precisely 100 runs by running 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s, with just 12 fours and two sixes. In that game, he wowed the globe with his fitness abilities, and India easily won by 124 runs while defending 303. He had a tremendous series, amassing 558 runs in six innings at an average of 186 and recording three ODI hundreds. India won the six-game series 5-1.