In fact, on ODIs, Kohli, true to his label, has scored 7,039 runs hitting second with a staggering 68.33 average, far better than his aggregate of 4,828 with 49.77 hitting first. On India’s previous Down Under tour in 2018-19, Kohli scored a hundred brilliants in a successful chase against the hosts, as his 104 helped India chase down a massive 299 goal in a last-minute thriller in Adelaide.
But one blow, early in his career, that showed the world his penchant for a good chase came in the Commonwealth Bank’s 11th three-series ODI match against Sri Lanka in Hobart in 2012.
It was one of the best ODI innings by a hitter in Australia and, as they say, the rest is history.
Here’s a rundown of that exciting match that saw India chase a big score, thanks in large part to a chasing masterclass from a 23-year-old Virat:
That day, February 28, 2012, patron of India MS Dhoni invited Sri Lanka to bat first after winning the toss.
Sri Lanka’s starters started cautiously, adding 49 runs in 12 overs, before Ravindra Jadeja provided India with its first breakthrough in the form of Mahela Jayawardene (22). But what followed was the total domination of the batsmen Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara, as the duo got into a 200-run position for the second wicket in 31.2 overs. Dilshan remained undefeated with 160, with 165 balls, while Sangakkara contributed 105 of 87 balls while driving Sri Lanka to 320 for 4 in 50 overs.
The task became more daunting for India, considering they needed to chase the target in 40 overs to earn a bonus point and stay alive in the series. So the real goal for India was not 321 in 50 overs, but 321 in 40 overs, that is, 8 runs over from the start of the chase.
India needed all of its hitters to shoot together to pull off what seemed like an unlikely chase. They needed a strong start to establish momentum and they got exactly that when starters Virender Sehwag (30 of 16) and Sachin Tendulkar (39 of 30) added 54 runs in just 6.2 overs before the former was eliminated by Farveez Maharoof. Tendulkar also fell shortly after in the 10th over with India reading 86/2 score at 9.2 overs.
That’s when Kohli hit the fold, with India “actually” needing 235 runs in 30.4 overs for the bonus point. He got Gautam gambhir at the other end for company. However, the 23-year-old rising star was in the zone, constantly measuring the ball and finding limits at will. At the other end, Gambhir played the second perfect fiddle, as the southpaw continued to rotate the shot without much trouble.
They kept the pressure on Lankan’s pitchers, as well as the fielders, who were struggling to contain the flow of runs. When Gambhir left at 28, after playing a handy 63-run 64-ball knock and adding 115 worthy runs in just 18.1 overs with Kohli, India still needed 120 runs on 75 balls to win the ‘biggest’ bonus. point.
Suresh Raina joined Kohli in the middle and the southpaw made sure the momentum never stopped for the Indians as he scored a quick 40 of 24 balls, assisted by six and three fours. Victory was within his grasp, but the real goal was the extra point. With Raina as a capable partner, Kohli showed off a series of shots he hadn’t seen before in Australia and when he took aim at Lasith Malinga at 35 for the final push, the writing was on the wall.
Kohli beat up 24 runs off Malinga in the 35th, when he pitched one for a maximum followed by four straight fours. Kohli’s unbeaten and brilliant 133 shot brought India home in 36.4 overs – India’s final score was 321 out of 3 as they posted an impressive seven wickets victory and took the bonus point.
Kohli timed his innings to perfection, turning the strike with a quick run between the wickets as he broke two 6s and 16 fours and scored his runs at a strike rate of nearly 155.
Kohli has five hundred ODIs in Australia so far. But this one will probably be counted as the best so far in Australia.
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