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Team India’s star batter Virat Kohli is celebrating his 34th birthday on Saturday, November 5. The Delhi-born cricketer was always touted for great things. He led the India U19 team to victory during the 2008 U19 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. The same year, he went on to make his debut for India and quickly established himself as one of the lynchpins of the batting order.
In a decorated career, the right-handed batter has so far represented India in 102 Tests, 262 ODIs, and 113 T20Is, scoring over 24,000 international runs. His exploits have led to constant comparisons being drawn between him and another Indian legend, Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli has already broken quite a few records held by Tendulkar and is likely to go past a few more in the coming years.
While he is a brilliant batter across the three formats of the game, his domination in white-ball cricket has been of a different level altogether. As the former skipper turns 34, let’s rewind the clock and look at five of his finest limited-overs knocks that prove he is the king of white ball cricket.
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#5 183 off 148 vs Pakistan (Asia Cup 2012, Mirpur)
After Pakistan batted first and posted a mammoth 329/6 in the fifth match of the 2012 Asia Cup in Mirpur, they were deemed favorites to win the game. However, Kohli came in and played a stunning knock.
He slammed 183 off just 148 balls to guide India to a convincing win. What seemed like a daunting target was gunned down in 47.5 overs thanks to Kohli’s brilliance.
He slammed 22 fours and a six, adding 133 for the second wicket with Tendulkar (52 off 48) and a massive 172 for the third wicket with Rohit Sharma (68 off 83). Kohli displayed amazing form from the moment he walked into bat and reached his hundred in the 30th over by punching Mohammad Hafeez for a single.
The batter, however, knew that the job was only half done. He carried on and hit Umar Gul for a four and six off consecutive deliveries in the 41st over. In the next over, he slapped Wahab Riaz for three consecutive fours to go past 150.
Kohli’s wonderful knock ended when he top-edged a length ball from Gul. However, India cruised to victory just a few balls later.
#4 160* off 159 vs South Africa (3rd ODI, Cape Town)
Kohli has often been termed a 'chase master' for his ability to lift his game in pursuit of challenging targets. But he has played some fantastic knocks in limited-overs cricket while batting first as well. One of his finest ODI knocks (160* off 159 balls) came against South Africa in Cape Town in the third match of the six-game series in 2018.
The Indians were sent in to bat first after losing the toss. The visitors lost Rohit for a duck. However, Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan (76 off 63) added 140 runs for the second wicket. Kohli struck 12 fours and two sixes in yet another fantastic innings, scoring more than half the runs in India’s total of 303/6.
He was sedate in the first half of his innings, reaching his half-century in 64 balls. Even his 100 came off 119 balls. However, Kohli opened up in grand fashion towards the end. He found a boundary in almost every over and finished the innings on a high, slamming the last two balls from Kagiso Rabada for six and four, respectively.
Replying to India’s total of 303/6, the Proteas folded up for 179 in 40 overs.
#3 133* off 86 vs Sri Lanka (CB series 2012, Hobart)
Back in 2012, legend Kohli was still taking shape. The cricketer’s stunning counter-attack against Sri Lanka in Hobart during the Commonwealth Bank Series will remain an unforgettable chapter in the story. In a must-win game, the Men in Blue needed to score 321 runs in 40 overs to stay alive in the tri-series. Thanks to Kohli, they got home in 36.4 overs.
The young right-hander came into bat at No. 4 and clobbered an unbeaten 133 off only 86 balls. His sensational innings included 16 fours, two sixes, and plenty of motivation. Virender Sehwag and Tendulkar contributed 30s, while Gautam Gambhir chipped in with 63, but it was Kohli’s show that took India to an unbelievable win.
He scored boundaries in a heap, knowing very well that India couldn’t afford to relax. Four boundaries came in the 31st over bowled by Nuwan Kulasekara. He then launched a brutal assault on Lasith Malinga, the kind which was rarely witnessed.
The 35th over of the Indian innings saw Kohli spank the Lankan legend for a six and a four off consecutive boundaries. Two more fours in Malinga’s next over took the Men in Blue past the finish line in style.
#2 82* off 51 vs Australia (2016 T20 World Cup, Mohali)
In one of the finest T20 World Cup batting performances, Kohli scored a magnificent 82* off 51 balls against Australia in the Super 10 match of the 2016 edition. In a virtual quarter-final in Mohali, India were set to chase a challenging 161.
They lost early wickets and, after 14 overs, were 94/4, with Yuvraj Singh also back in the hut. Kohli, however, single-handedly hauled India past the target. The Men in Blue needed 39 off the last three overs, with Kohli batting on 50 off 40.
He immediately switched gears and thumped James Faulker for 4,4,6 off consecutive deliveries. Four boundaries then came off the penultimate over bowled by Nathan Coulter-Nile, leaving the chasing side with only four to get off the last over.
#1 82* off 53 vs Pakistan (2022 T20 World Cup, Melbourne)
In India’s first Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup 2022 against arch-rivals Pakistan in Melbourne, Kohli came up with yet another unforgettable knock in a seemingly impossible chase. Pakistan batted first in the chase and put up a challenging 159/8.
In response, Team India slumped to 31/4. Kohli and Hardik Pandya (40 off 37) added 113 runs for the fifth wicket. Still, Pakistan held the aces with three overs to go. Kohli, however, believed he could pull it off. He did and how! He warmed up by slamming Shaheen Afridi for three fours in the 18th over.
The penultimate over of the innings saw him launch the last two balls from Haris Rauf for unbelievable sixes. 16 runs were needed off the last over bowled by left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz. The set batter struck a crucial six, while Ravichandran Ashwin hit the winning run by lofting the last ball over mid-off for a single!
King Kohli returned unconquered, having slammed six fours and four sixes in an innings for the ages.
Also Read: 5 massive Sachin Tendulkar records that Virat Kohli has already broken
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