As Virat Kohli turns 34 on November 5 2022 let us take a look at three of his best ODI knocks.
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Virat Kohli is a terrific batter in all formats, but his dominance in ODIs has been incredible. Furthermore, he has 43 hundred in only 248 matches, which is rather impressive. Sachin Tendulkar has the most ODI hundreds (49) but in a career spanning 452 matches. As Virat Kohli turns 34 on November 5 2022 let us take a look at three of his best ODI knocks.
Sri Lanka scored 320/4 in this Commonwealth Bank Series match in Hobart, riding on centuries from Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara. Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag got India off to a wonderful start in response, but by the 10th over, India had lost both of them with 86 runs on the board. It was then time for Kohli to take command. India needed to chase down the target inside 40 overs to stay alive in the tri-series. What transpired after that is something that none of us will ever forget. He unleashed a full-fledged assault on the Sri Lankan bowlers, slamming them all over the ground. He especially targeted Lasith Malinga. The final 120 runs were scored in the next ten overs as India chased down the total in 36.4 overs. Kohli stayed undefeated with a score of 133 off 86 deliveries. His innings featured 16 fours and two sixes. That was the first proper glimpse of Kohli the chase master.
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It’s fitting that this is also his biggest ODI score to date. It happened during India’s Asia Cup match versus Pakistan in Dhaka in 2012. While batting first, Pakistan amassed a massive score of 329/6. Twin centuries from Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed, as well as a late onslaught from Younis Khan, had already broken the Indian players’ spirits. Things got even worse when India lost Gautam Gambhir in the first over, but once Kohli walked out to bat, the Pakistani spinners had no chance. Kohli and Tendulkar launched a counterattack against the Pakistani bowlers that lasted 19.1 overs and yielded 133 runs. Even when the master was dismissed, Kohli built another 170-run stand with Rohit Sharma (62). During his 148-ball innings of 183, which included 22 fours and a six, he hammered the Pakistani bowlers all over the park. It was a difficult target, but Kohli made a joke of it by assisting India in chasing it down with 13 deliveries and six wickets in hand. It also turned out to be Sachin’s last ODI innings.
A 22-year-old Virat Kohli, still not the cricket celebrity that he is, stepped out to bat in a World Cup final as his idol, Sachin Tendulkar, was heading back to the pavilion after being out for only 18 runs, breaking the hearts of a million Indians. Virat Kohli could feel the strain.
“I remember the pressure of walking into bat, at 2 down for 20. Sachin and Sehwag both got out. Sachin paaji had a brief chat with me when I walked in. He said ‘build a partnership. We did build a partnership, me and Gautam Gambhir, and we added 90 runs. Probably the most valuable 35 that I scored in my cricketing career. I was very happy that I was a part of putting the team back on track, and contributed in whatever way I could’
Kohli had said earlier this year on the 11th anniversary of the World Cup win.
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