Virat Kohli's top 3 ODI innings vs England

Virat Kohli has made his name as one of the greatest ever batsmen to play in the ODI format of the game. He has scored a mammoth 12311 runs at an impeccable average of 58.07 in 251 innings for the Indian national team.

Among many of his victims include the English cricket team, against whom the Delhi batsman has scored 1464 runs in ODIs.

In this article, we shall take a look at Virat Kohli's top three ODI innings against England

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#3. 107 (93), 5th ODI, Cardiff, September 16, 2011

For a match that’s fondly remembered for being Rahul Dravid’s last one-day international match, it was also an important match in the early stages of Virat Kohli’s career that signaled his maturity and intention to dominate world cricket for ages to come. England won the toss in Cardiff and chose to field first, putting the visitors in trouble by getting them to a mere 57-2 in 15.2 overs.

Although Virat Kohli, with five international hundreds and a World Cup win under his belt, wasn’t exactly a newbie, he was yet to find his spot in the team as a guaranteed starter. That was likely to change after this innings, where he took full control of the match, keeping the run rate moving and allowing Dravid to play his last ever ODI in his own style and convenience.

His partnership with ‘The Wall’ lasted for a massive 160 deliveries, adding 170 runs for the touring team. Kohli alone scored 100 runs in 87 deliveries in this partnership, taking the attack to the English pacers and being particularly effective with his on-drives.

Virat Kohli’s innings came to an end soon after the standing ovation given post-Rahul Dravid’s dismissal, where the youngster got himself out hit-wicket trying to nudge the delivery for a single. MS Dhoni’s blistering 50 not out in 26 deliveries lifted the score to a comfortable 304-6 in 50 overs. However, rain played spoilsport for the Indians as England chased the revised total with ease and won the five-match series 3-0.

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#2. 112* (98), 2nd ODI (D/N), Delhi, October 17, 2011

England won the toss and chose to bat first on what looked to be a flat wicket for the batsman to make merry. However, the plan backfired terribly for the visiting batsmen as they crumbled to a below-par 237 all out, where not a single batsman crossed fifty and both openers were dismissed for a duck. In reply, the Indian openers fell cheaply as well, as Tim Bresnan’s consistency in line and length was rewarded.

From there, England had no way back in the game as two of the local Delhi lads in Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli completely took the game from the English bowlers. While Gambhir got off to a slow and steady start, Virat Kohli did not hesitate to attack the English bowlers and maintain a steady run rate.

Targeting Jade Dernbach and Graeme Swann in particular, the Delhi duo were rampant in their partnership, scoring 209 runs in 179 deliveries between themselves. They remained unbeaten as India won by eight wickets and 80 balls to spare.

Kohli won the 'Player of the Match' award for his thrilling century against a tough bowling attack in front of his home fans, adding a sweeter taste to his success as India took a 2-0 lead in the five-match ODI series.

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#1. 122 (105), 1st ODI (D/N), Pune, January 15, 2017

After an embarrassing 4-0 thrashing in the Test series, the visiting English team were in the mood for vengeance in the limited-overs matches for the rest of their tour.

Asked to bat first, the English batsmen romped their way to a massive 350-7 at the end of their 50 overs, with the three batsmen scoring fifties along the way. In reply, India found themselves in a difficult spot at 63-4, having lost openers Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul. Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni were also dismissed in quick succession.

At this point, Virat Kohli was already batting on 27 (25) but needed to up the run rate and a partner to stick with him while he leads the chase. However, the incoming Kedar Jadhav had different plans, annihilating the English bowling at an aggressive strike rate and playing some outrageous shots. Meanwhile, Kohli continued to find gaps and hit boundaries across the park, ensuring runs were flowing from both ends as the partnership raced to 200 runs in just 147 deliveries.

By the time Kohli departed, the equation for the chasing team came down to just 88 runs to win in 82 deliveries, a far achievable total as compared to the initial equation. The rest of the batsmen reached the total with no hiccups as India chased out a ridiculous 351 runs with 11 balls to spare as Ravichandran Ashwin finished the game off in style with a massive six off Moeen Ali.