Best Virat Kohli Test Innings of All Time

You don’t need to be a fan of the Indian cricket team to acknowledge Virat Kohli as one of the best batsmen the game has seen over the past decade. ‘King Kohli’ has treated cricket lovers to countless magnificent innings across all formats. Today, we look back at some of the finest innings the former Indian captain has played in the longest version of the game.

119 vs South Africa: Johannesburg, 2013

In the first Test of a demanding 13-month campaign featuring four away series, Kohli delivered a vital 119-run knock for his team, which drew great admiration from then-South Africa bowling coach Allan Donald.

Kohli showed patience and skill against the fierce seam attack of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and Vernon Philander. He wisely left plenty of balls early on before shifting gears and taking aim at the spinners.

This clever innings helped India claw their way into a winning position, even though they were underdogs across bookmakers before the match. The teams ended up sharing the spoils, but it was still a great result for India considering the circumstances.

105* vs New Zealand, Wellington, 2014

India seemed on track for a comfortable win against New Zealand in 2014—until Brendon McCullum and BJ Watling pulled off a classic Laxman-Dravid rescue. Come day five, odds on Cricket sportsbooks sites suggested India could be in for an upset in this one.

Rather than playing it safe, Kohli decided to go for the offensive and unleashed a fiery assault on the Kiwi bowlers. He dazzled with exquisite strokes across the crease and took the pressure off India. Kohli’s brave batting again earned India a draw in the New Zealand capital.

141 vs Australia: Adelaide, 2014

Virat Kohli scored centuries in both innings of his debut Test as a captain, but it was his second-innings ton that impressed us the most. Kohli was filling in for regular captain MS Dhoni in the Adelaide Test against Australia, and proved with the bat that he relished the added responsibility.

Nathan Lyon was causing trouble left, right and centre, extracting all manner of awkward bounce from the surface. But Kohli was far from intimidated. The newly-crowned captain brought out all the tricks to counter the Aussie bowling threat: sweeping from outside off, effortlessly driving through the covers and pulling without hesitation when bouncers came to him at a challenging height.

With a strike rate of 80.57, he took India to within 60 runs of victory before being caught at midwicket.

169 vs Australia: Melbourne 2014

This was an innings full of grit and grace and, once again, on the most challenging stage imaginable – a clear theme of Kohli’s success. After twin hundreds in Adelaide, he teamed up with Ajinkya Rahane to attack the mighty Australian bowling attack in front of their home crowd.

What makes this innings so special is how easily Kohli handled Mitchell Johnson on a pitch that offered plenty of bounce. The pacer had terrorised England there only a season earlier, but conceded 68 runs off 73 balls in this Test against Kohli.

235 vs England: Mumbai, 2016

The scorecard might not tell the full story, but Kohli’s innings against England in 2016 was a true masterclass against spin on a pitch that had become brutal by the third day.

When India were six down and 93 runs behind, Kohli decided to launch an onslaught. The odds had shifted to a point where it seemed likely that England would claim bragging rights. But India’s rescue man quickly changed the narrative with a brilliant innings, extinguishing the away team’s hopes of a rare victory on Indian soil.

104* vs Sri Lanka: Kolkata, 2017

To prepare for their South Africa tour, India picked a green track that allowed seamers to take control in a rain-hit Kolkata Test full of ups and downs. A Suranga Lakmal-led Sri Lanka attack bundled India out for 172 in the first innings, then reduced them to 159 for 7 halfway through the final day.

Kohli scored a quickfire 104 from 119 deliveries, but wickets fell rapidly around him, with six lost for 56 runs. As bad light ended the Test early, Sri Lanka breathed a sigh of relief at 75 for 7 while chasing 231.

153 vs South Africa: Centurion, 2018

Against South Africa at Centurion in 2018, no one else in the Indian side managed more than 46 runs, and India could only manage to add a meagre 151 runs in the second innings. It wasn’t enough to stop South Africa from winning the series, even though India entered the fray with incredible hype.

Kohli’s 379 minutes on the pitch was one of the rare positives Team India could take away from this Test. His 153-run knock in the first innings kept India in the game, but AB de Villiers’ phenomenal second innings performance tipped the balance of the tie towards the home side.