Indian icon Virat Kohli celebrates his 35th birthday on November 5, 2023. The maestro is undoubtedly one of the greatest players who has and will take the field of cricket till the sun is out there. The grit, determination and defiance that one sees in his eyes are simply unparalleled. A modern master, who has taken the game of cricket to the stratosphere, gets a year older.
Kohli has defied logic parameters with some jaw-dropping knocks on the field of cricket. He has ruled the roost with the willow in hand and has set the benchmark which is hard to come level to for most of them out there, let alone go over it. Kohli’s knocks have probably gone past extraordinary. Here we take a look at five such knocks played by the modern master in International cricket.
1. 82 vs Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup
“Kohli goes down the ground, Kohli goes out of the ground, what a sensational hit from Virat Kohli.” If you remember this, you would feel the goosebumps of that Legendary knock played at the most tragic times against an arch-rival Pakistan, in front of about a lakh people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. A knock that should be written in golden letters in cricket history. With a bowling attack like that of Pakistan – Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah and India 31/4 in pursuit of 160 – how could you do that Virat? The shot to Haris Rauf defies whatever mathematics any genius knows. How did you do that Virat? But he is made of steel. An 82* knock in that T20 World Cup is surely one of the best ever in the game.
2. 133 vs Sri Lanka in the 2012 Commonwealth Bank Series
A peak Lasith Malinga has torn batting line-ups for fun. He has taken hattricks in International cricket for fun too. But Kohli’s first glimpse of greatness was probably that one knock he played against Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Bank series in 2012. India needed to chase 321 in 50 overs. But what Kohli did was something unimaginable. The then prodigy tore the Sri Lankan bowling line-up as he smashed an 86-ball 133 to help India get over the line in just 36.4 overs. Insane hitting that was.
3. 114 vs Australia in the 2014 Adelaide Test
How could one cope with a bad time? Though the answer is fightback, it takes some effort to do as it is easier said than done. But Kohli showed that to us. After a terrible run in England in 2014, Kohli bounced back in style with two monstrous knocks against Australia Down under. After even getting a 40-run outing in England, Kohli received the extra responsibility of captaining the Indian side for the first time in the opening Test of a series against Australia. But he shrugged off any pressure and went on to hit not one but two centuries across the innings in the Adelaide Test. A masterpiece that should be kept in a museum.
4. 149 and 51 vs England in the 2018 Edgbaston Test
However, Kohli bounced back at the area of Earth where he suffered a terrible time. After that horrorful tour in England in 2014, Kohli showed his mettle with some big knocks against the Three Lions in 2018. He stepped on the ground in the first match in Birmingham and was not received well by the English crowd. But the master played another masterpiece. He scored 149 and 51 in the two innings of the game against a power-packed England attack. The knock showed his defiance to get the ghosts to come over him.
5. 183 vs Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup
If the 133 against Sri Lanka announced Virat Kohli, the 183 against Pakistan was a step ahead of that. India played Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup and Kohli was in some sort of greatness that day as he made a mockery of the Pakistan attack featuring the likes of Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, and Saeed Ajmal. Kohli played the best score in his ODI career till now when he unleashed an onslaught on the opposition. His 148-ball 183 helped India gun down the 330-run target in 47.5 overs.
These are just a few examples of Virat Kohli’s greatness. He has played many other magnificent knocks throughout his career. He is a true legend of the game and an inspiration to millions around the world.
