How does one pick a top-10 for Kohli? The Indian captain now has 37 One-day International hundreds to his name and looks set to get many more by the time he hangs up his boots.
The conditions challenged him. The ball seamed, bounced and beat his outside edge but Kohli conquered them all. There is no part of the world where he has not got runs. After 2015, a bleak year by his standards, his run-scoring has touched stratospheric peaks, almost inconceivable for any another modern-day batsman.
There were times he battled bad form too, but that was light years ago; a time when Kohli was a chubby, hot-headed yet prodigiously talented batsman. Just how all heroes don’t wear capes, it’s not just the hundreds that are special.
Kohli has often mentioned in interviews how crucial his 35 in the World Cup final was against Sri Lanka. Needless to say, he has no parallels batting in the second innings and may have redefined the way an average Indian spectator views a 300-run target. Now, he is the fastest to get to the 10,000-run mark in ODIs.
The first hundred (2009 vs Sri Lanka)
India were looking to win the five-match series in Kolkata. Sri Lanka had registered a huge score of 315 and Suranga Lakmal had removed openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar in no time. India were reeling at 23/2 in the fourth over.
Despite having senior batsman Gautam Gambhir at the other end, Kohli pierced gaps at will and counter-punched with carefree abandon. Gambhir played an anchor role as the Delhi duo stitched a massive 224-run stand. Just weeks after turning 21, Kohli got to his first ODI hundred. He didn’t see the team across the line, though, falling for 107.
Gambhir did the rest, chasing down the total to hand India the series with a classy unbeaten 150. After winning the Man of the Match award, the southpaw handed it over to his younger teammate, a gesture seldom seen in international cricket.
Gambhir on passing on the Man of the Match award to Kohli.
“The way Virat batted took a lot of pressure off my shoulders and we told ourselves to see what was happening after 35 overs, but then we didn’t need to take the Powerplay.”
Birth of the chaser (2010 vs Australia)
The venue was Visakhapatnam and the countdown had begun for the 2011 World Cup on home soil, which was less than six months away. Kohli was going through a prolonged run of bad form. The visiting Australians scored a formidable 289/3 courtesy of a century from skipper Michael Clarke and a blitzkrieg from Cameron White.
Yet again, the odds were stacked against India as a makeshift opening pair of Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan (Yes, in a ODI) fell cheaply. Teaming up with established middle-order batsmen Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh, Kohli scored a timely hundred to set up the win. He braved his way through cramps in the back end of the innings. Kohli followed this effort with another century against New Zealand weeks later. This knock was a clear indicator of where the team management would play him in the years to come in limited-overs cricket. Kohli, after the game, admitted that he was “under pressure” to score runs coming into this game.
“I was struggling with cramps in my 70s and 80s. I just wanted to drag the game as much as I could to put my team in a winning position. The team has shown trust in me to bat at No.3 and I’ll just look to capitalise.”
— Kohli on his knock
“Kohli has been often criticised for giving away good starts and he batted perfectly today.”
— Dhoni on Kohli
The Hobart epic (Sri Lanka 2012)
“This is a special feeling, probably my best one-day innings so far”
Why wouldn’t Kohli say that? This was a century of epic proportions. India, to stand a chance of reaching the final of the VB tri-series, needed to chase down a humongous 321 in just 40 overs at Hobart. Most teams, even on a flat track, would struggle to get that score in 50 overs.
Kohli, by now, was a World Cup winner, and one of the mainstays in the one-day setup. India got off to a flying start through veteran opening pair Sehwag and Tendulkar. Then, Kohli cut loose. He took on Sri Lanka’s premier pacer Lasith Malinga, smashing him for 24 runs in one over. With the help of Gambhir and Raina, India, miraculously chased down 321 in just 36.4 overs.
The highest score (183 vs Pakistan 2012)
A day/night game, Pakistan, a record chase: India had everything going against them at Mirpur in the Asia Cup after Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed’s centuries put Misbah-ul-Haq’s side in command. India had to chase down 330 - a score they had never got to during the second innings - at the time.
Tendulkar was up and away, taking on the pacers early on to keep India on course. In a way, this knock may have been a watershed moment in the design of Kohli’s chases taking shape. During the powerplay overs, when Tendulkar was aggressive, Kohli was subdued. After the batting legend’s departure, Pakistan were sent on a leather hunt.
With Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal, the bowling attack had quality to hurt the Indian batsmen.
Rohit Sharma, at the other end, played a sheet anchor’s role. Who can forget Kohli’s celebrations after he reached the three-figure mark: Chest pumping out, swaying his bat with passion and letting out an expletive or two in Hindi.
Kohli would depart for 183, his highest ODI score till date. The number has some significance in Indian cricket as former captains Sourav Ganguly and Dhoni’s highest ODI scores were 183 too.
“The best innings I have ever seen.”
— Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq
The fastest century (100* vs Australia 2013)
How about chasing down a 360-run target with more than six overs to spare? This has to go down as the most effortless chase that India have been a part of. Australia were left flabbergasted and this was one of the earliest Rohit-Kohli shows on offer.
If only the duo were around in 2003, when Australia scored the same score in the World Cup final. Kohli, at the end of the game, said that he had barely practiced in the nets before going out to bat. Tendulkar said that he had done the same during the 2003 World Cup as well, where he was named the Player of the Tournament.
It is hard to find an innings these days with Kohli clobbering as many as seven sixes. However, 2013 was Rohit’s year as he was finally living up to his potential as an opener. Kohli brought up his century in just 52 balls, an Indian record. A knock that misses out on this list is the follow-up act, a spell-binding unbeaten 115 from 66 balls to help India chase down 352 in Nagpur.
“I didn’t bat in the nets yesterday, just had a few throw downs. I wasn’t worried about the short-pitched stuff, I pulled a few of them early and then they started bowling half-volleys.”
— Virat Kohli
Master chaser at work (139 vs Sri Lanka 2014)
Barring Ajantha Mendis and Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lankans lacked experience. During this five-match ODI series, Kohli got a taste of captaincy (not for the first time) with MS Dhoni being rested. A brutal unbeaten hundred by Mathews saw Sri Lanka, who were looking to avoid a 0-5 whitewash set a steep target of 287.
Batting was not easy on this Ranchi pitch, and barring Ambati Rayudu, none of the Indian batsmen gave Kohli company at the crease. The skipper was in danger of running out of partners. Sri Lanka looked set to grab a consolation win. When Ravichandran Ashwin was out, India needed 56 runs from 40 balls with just three wickets in hand.
With the help of Axar Patel, Kohli launched into a timely assault and India chased down the target comfortably. There was a touch of Javed Miandad during this Kohli masterpiece.
“I played the helicopter and it came off well, playing in MS’ hometown, it worked well.”
— Virat Kohli.
Beating the Chennai heat (138 vs South Africa 2015)
It was hot and humid, as it always is in Chennai. India were fighting to stay alive in the five-match ODI series. Kohli suffered with cramps through the innings as he went on to score yet another hundred (138), this time with the help of Ajinkya Rahane and Raina.
India got to a competitive score of 299 and South Africa fell short. The only other batsman who got going was AB de Villiers. But, Kohli and De Villiers, teammates in franchise cricket, also wilted under the demanding conditions. But, the result was the same: yet another Kohli hundred.
“It was pretty difficult because there wasn’t much breeze during the day when it was hot. If AB [de Villiers] starts cramping then you know how hard it is because he is one of the fittest people around.”
— Virat Kohli
The patient one (107 against Pakistan 2015)
It was a World Cup match against Pakistan and understandably, there was pressure on the defending champions. On this occasion, Kohli showed that he can be a master grafter and not just a master blaster. He stitched a steady 129-run stand with Dhawan. Kohli’s 107 was laced with only eight boundaries. Nonetheless, it was in a winning cause and India extended their undefeated streak against Pakistan in World Cups.
“Probably one of the biggest in my career so far.”
— Virat Kohli
The improbable one (122 vs England 2017)
India needed more than 350 to win yet again. Kohli and India, here, had a mountain to climb. India were reeling at 63/4. Local boy Kedar Jadhav scored a spell-binding century to keep his side in the hunt. Midway through the partnership, Kohli took over.
This was also the match where Kohli played one of his best shots in ODI cricket, a lofted straight drive off Chris Woakes over long off. It hardly had a backlift and the ball kept travelling. Hardik Pandya did the rest with a cool unbeaten 40. Out of nowhere, India pulled off a sensational win and England were left licking their wounds.
“This win is going to take a while to sink in. At 60 for 4, yes I was still thinking win. The moment I saw Kedar striking well, I told him let’s get to 150 for 4, and they will hit the panic button. Just you watch. A splendid innings.”
— Virat Kohli
The Kohli series (160* vs South Africa 2018)
After losing the Test series, India were dominating South Africa in the ODI series. In this match in Cape Town, Kohli and the visitors were combating a see-saw wicket. Initially, the ball was coming on to the bat. As the first innings progressed, the seamers gained the upper hand. At one stage, India were looking good for score close to 350.
Wickets tumbled but Kohli’s run-glut continued. His batting in the final ten overs was a sight to to behold. And, he stayed there till the end. This was after Kohli was given out leg-before for a duck but survived after a review. He also endured a torrid time in the early stages of his stay at the crease. The South Africans dithered and Kohli took the match away from them.
“These are the times you’re tested mentally as well as physically.”
— Virat Kohli