Let’s look at some of his best knocks across the globe which make him the deserved No.1.
#5 235 vs England, Mumbai, Dec 2016
In pursuit of England’s first innings score of 400, India were six down for a score of 307 on a turning track at the Wankhede in Mumbai. That is when Kohli stepped up to the job and scored an eye-catching 235(340) in the company of the lower order.
Jayant Yadav supported him brilliantly in a double century stand for the 8th wicket. In the end, India went past England by aggregating 631 in the first innings, paving the way for an innings victory.
#4 105* vs New Zealand, Wellington, Feb 2014
India managed to bowl out New Zealand cheaply in the first innings but Brendon McCullum’s knock of 302 meant that the visitors had to bat to save the Test match on the final day.
Kohli scored a fluent century, amassing 105 off 135 balls, and ensured that India did not lose the match after being beaten in the first Test.
#3 153 vs South Africa, Centurion, Jan 2018
Following a very similar script to the match at Edgbaston the previous week, Kohli single-handedly carried his team close to South Africa’s 1st innings total of 335 while wickets kept falling at the other end.
He scored 153 off 217 balls on a slow sub-continental type of surface. He went past 150 for the first time in South Africa while top scoring in a match where no other batsman got a hundred.
India eventually fell short by 135 runs in the fourth innings.
#2 149 vs England, Birmingham, Aug 2018
Kohli’s latest heroics at Edgbaston have ensured that he has conquered the final frontier - scoring runs in England. Scoring 200 runs in the first Test itself, Kohli has surpassed his aggregate of 134 runs that he amassed on the previous tour to England in 2014.
His champion knock of 149 last Thursday ensured that India were always in the game despite the other batsmen failing miserably. Although India fell tantalizingly short of the target of 194, Kohli’s class was on full display right through the match.
#1 141 vs Australia, Adelaide, Dec 2014
With Mahendra Singh Dhoni sidelined due to injury, Kohli was asked to captain the team in the first Test at Adelaide in 2014. The pressure of captaincy didn’t deter the young man from producing a monumental performance with the bat.
Kohli scored a fine century in the first innings but it was his aggressive knock of 141(175) while chasing a stiff target of 364 on the final day that caught everyone’s attention. Eventually, India succumbed to Nathan Lyon’s heroics with the ball, but not before Kohli had made a statement of intent.
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