Virat Kohli Birthday: India's sporting icon and cricket great Virat Kohli is celebrating his 34th Birthday on 5th November. The day when a legendary player, a batting maestro was born is always a special day for him and his fans. Kohli has made batting look so easy and elegant that other cricket stalwarts have always lauded the Indian star. As former Indian skipper Virat Kohli celebrates his cake-cutting day, we take a look at some of the best knocks that he has played in International cricket.
1. Virat Kohli's magic vs Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup
One of the best knocks in the history of cricket that many cricket experts have ever seen is Virat's knock against Pakistan in the 2022 World Cup. India and Pakistan are always fierce rivals in any tournament but when it is a World Cup it becomes even bigger. Add to this, India's agony in 2021 and the 2022 Asia Cup debacle, and the match was one of the biggest India had to play against Pakistan in recent times. It was not great first innings as the men in blue would have liked, as Pakistan scored 159 in 20 overs. But a batting collapse had probably put the curtains down for India and it looked like Pakistan would get a comfortable win had Virat not done an unthinkable. The batting maestro along with modern-day power hitter Hardik Pandya kept believing in themselves even when India were reeling at 31/4 in 6.1 overs. With Pakistan breathing fire and eyeing a 2021 repeat, tall stood Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya to first see off the tricky phase and then launch an all-out attack on Pakistan. Virat played some mouthwatering shots and his six to Haris Rauf is not only one of the favourites for many but also one of the most difficult, considering the line and length of that ball. Kohli remained unbeaten for 82 and made India victorious in a thrilling contest.
2. Brilliance in Mohali vs Australia in the 2016 T20 World Cup
If it was the 2022 T20 World Cup against Pakistan, the 2016 World Cup match against Australia was also a magical knock played by Virat Kohli. The tournament was hosted by India and they were facing giants Australia in a virtual knockout in the Super 10 stage. The mighty Aussies had set a target of 161 and wanted to upset the home side. Kohli walked in to bat in the fourth over. The wickets kept falling at the other end and the asking rate kept surging and it reached 12 with 4 overs left. But the chase master Kohli then launched an attack on Australia and amassed 19 runs in James Faulkner's 18th over and then 16 in the penultimate one. With 4 required off the final over, Dhoni finished things but it was Virat's 82-run knock that took India into the semifinal.
3. Virat show in Adelaide in 2014 against Australia
Virat Kohli's love for Australia is a very popular fact. Kohli has amassed so many runs in Australia and his twin-century knock in Adelaide is one to cherish. Leading India in the first Test Down Under after MS Dhoni missed due to injury, Kohli stood on the occasion. Australia scored a massive 517 in the first innings and it needed a giant effort from India to come anyway near to that. India's skipper Kohli registered a thumping ton guiding India to 444 with his 115-run knock. Later, Australia declared and set a target of 362 in front of India. The men in blue were looking to chase the target and Kohli played a crucial role in helping India come close. While Virat scored 141, a batting collapse in the later part of the chase, saw India fall short by 46 runs in the end.
4. Redemption for Kohli in England in 2018
India's 2018 tour to England was a crucial test for Virat Kohli, both as a skipper and as a batter. The Delhi boy had a nightmare tour of England in 2014, where he averaged only 13.50 and fell prey to James Anderson. This time he had some great things to prove. In the first Test at Edgbaston, England scored 287 on a competitive surface. The Indian batters too could not show much of a spark. While the openers fell cheaply, the middle order did not last long, however, one batter Virat Kohli was out of the books for England. The Indian skipper went on to score 149 runs in India's 274-run reply. This inning displayed the effort and hard work put in by Virat Kohli to let people forget the 2014 tour to the same nation. He then went on to become the leading run-scorer in the series with 593 runs in 10 innings.
5. Chase master's brilliance against Sri Lanka in 2012
In the 2012 CB series, the chase master showed his magical wand against a decent Sri Lankan attack. Two centuries from Sri Lankan players set the target at 320 and it was a mammoth task for India to overcome the challenge. The openers gave a fine start but went back inside the powerplay. Walking out to bat at No. 4, Virat displayed a knock for the ages. He sent the bowlers to the cleaners, smashed 24 runs in an over off yorker specialist Lasith Malinga and smashed an unbeaten 133 off 86 balls. With his knock, Kohli helped India chase down the mammoth target in just 36.4 overs. This inning was hailed by many cricket experts and showed that this man has got something very special inside him that the cricket world will ever cherish for the times to come
