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It’s hard to pick a handful of innings for a batsman who already has 58 international hundreds and dozens of match-winning knocks. However, this list also includes some performances which don’t include a fifty, let alone a hundred. The innings included in this list consist of only match-winning knocks in big tournaments, in adverse conditions and near-impossible situations.
#1 107 vs Sri Lanka - 4th ODI at Kolkata - 2009
It was a cold Christmas eve. Despite one of the stands being constructed, Eden Gardens was packed as usual. India were chasing 316, and lost both Sachin and Sehwag with the team score at 23. While the team could rely on Gautam Gambhir, India was still in search of another middle-order mainstay during a transition period.
Both Delhi boys - Gambhir and Kohli - played their natural shots and put on a majestic 220-run partnership. This was Virat Kohli’s first international century and the beginning of a golden era for Indian cricket. India went on to win the match and seal the series, and completed a rare full year of not losing any kind of tournament to Sri Lanka.
#2 35 vs Sri Lanka - ODI World Cup Final at Mumbai - 2011
A similar situation as the previous one but this time it was a World Cup Final. Prior to this match, India had lost half a dozen Finals against Sri Lanka while chasing. Chasing 275 in this match, India lost both openers with just 31 on the board. Lasith Malinga was in the form of his life. India had to score while ensuring they didn’t lose wickets. Gambhir and Kohli put on a 83-run partnership off 92 balls and took India to a position of safety in sultry conditions in the game of their lives.
Virat tried attacking Dilshan, but the Sri Lankan part-timer pulled a stunning caught and bowled to end a resurrecting partnership. Late in the innings, Gambhir played across the line to lose his wicket for 97. But captain Dhoni and Yuvraj finished the game with ten balls to spare. Kohli’s 35 in that 83-run partnership was crucial in winning India their first ODI World Cup trophy in 28 years.
#3 133* vs Sri Lanka - 11th ODI, CB Series at Hobart - 2012
Towards the end of a tough Australian tour, India were struggling to make it to the finals of the tri-series Down Under. India needed not only a victory, but a bonus point as well to survive in the tournament. Sri Lanka scored 320, and India needed to chase the target within 40 overs for the bonus point - something that had never been achieved in cricket before. India's score was 86 for 2 after 9.2 overs when Kohli came in. Yet another handy partnership of 115 runs with old pal Gambhir at run-a-ball set the platform for India.
But Gambhir’s run out meant that India needed another 120 runs in just 75 balls to win the bonus point. Kohli didn’t sweat, and the next batsman Suresh Raina complimented him quite well. In the final analysis, India won the bonus point with 3.2 overs to spare (13.2 overs to spare overall). Raina, even with a strike rate of 167, only needed to score 40 in a 120-run partnership. The highlight of the innings was an epic 26-run over off Malinga by Kohli. That was perhaps the first time in Malinga's career, that he seemed ordinary.
#4 183 vs Pakistan - 5th ODI, Asia Cup at Dhaka - 2012
India had been defeated by Bangladesh, and had to win this match and depend on other results for any chances of making it to the final. Pakistan scored 329 with both their openers scoring centuries. Gambhir, opening in this match, got out second ball with the team score on zero. Pakistan were fielding a world class bowling attack consisting of Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Ajmal, Afridi, Hafeez - and boy wonder Aizaz Cheema. While Kohli attacked, Sachin Tendulkar - playing what would be his last ODI - supported him well at the other end.
After a 133-run partnership, Sachin got out to a gem of a delivery from Saeed Ajmal. Kohli found another stable partner in Rohit Sharma, and took the attack to the Pakistani bowlers. The trademark of his 183-run innings was 22 boundaries and only one six, with rarely any lofted shots. The possibility of a 200 from Virat Kohli’s bat was there, and he attempted hitting every ball out of the park. He hit one shot too many, eventually top edging one from Umar Gul to provide a simple catch. With only 12 runs needed off 17 balls, India won the match by 6 wickets in the end.
#5 43 vs England - ICC Champions Trophy (ODI) Final at Birmingham - 2013
India’s only ICC Champions Trophy victory among four final appearances did not come easy. India were joint champions in 2002, but never won a final. India would have ended their 2013 campaign with the same tag, had the rain gods not spared the game in time. The pitch and the outfield dried up just minutes before the cut-off time for a 20 overs per side game - the minimum required to constitute an ODI. More light spells of rains followed, but that didn’t stop the game. England put India in to bat, and broke through early with the wicket of Rohit Sharma with India at 19.
Shikhar Dhawan dominated for a while, but India collapsed after reaching 50, losing the next four wickets in the space of 16 runs. Kohli found an able partner in the form of Ravindra Jadeja - the ‘Golden Ball’ winner of that tournament. He anchored the innings and attacked only the loose balls. Kohli got out in the penultimate over, top-scoring with 43 out of India’s total of 129 for 7. England’s chase had many crests and troughs, but Ashwin held his nerve to deliver a brave last over, with England needing 7 off the last ball. Had it not been for Kohli’s 43, it would have been tough for India to put up a competitive score.
#6 72* vs South Africa - World T20 Semi Final at Dhaka - 2014
India were chasing a stiff target of 173, and after a blazing start, Rohit Sharma got out in the fourth over, with the score at 39. Kohli built a steady 38-run partnership with Rahane and then a 56-run partnership with Yuvraj, but he was the aggressor in each of those partnerships. It was only when Suresh Raina came in, that Virat Kohli finally took the backseat.
From the opposition’s perspective, by the time Raina got out with the score at 167, the damage had been done. Kohli scored the winning runs, and his 72 not out off 44 balls proved instrumental in getting India to the final.
#7 41* vs Bangladesh - Asia Cup T20 Final at Dhaka - 2016
In a rain-curtailed 15-over final, Bangladesh set India a tricky target of 121. Bangladesh were in red hot form, beating both Pakistan and Sri Lanka and the home crowd was behind them. What India needed in that short run chase was a balance of caution and aggression. While Shikhar Dhawan attacked, Kohli played along. Dhawan got out with India needing 22 off 15, but Dhoni just came in and finished the chase in seven balls.
Virat Kohli scored 41 not out off just 28 balls, after consistently scoring runs in tough situations in every game of the tournament. This was his third match winning innings of substance in just six innings in a tournament final till that point.
#8 82* vs Australia - 31st Match, World T20 at Mohali - 2016
Probably his most impressive innings in a pressure cooker situation, Virat Kohli was unbelievable on this particular night. In a virtual quarter-final, Australia set India a target of 161 runs. Kohli again had to come in early with Shikhar Dhawan getting out in just the fourth over, with India at 23. Rohit Sharma followed soon, and so did Suresh Raina. India were struggling at 49 for 3 in 7.4 overs. Yuvraj, the next batsman, hurt his foot but he decided to stay on.
While Kohli attacked - mostly relying on fours towards the short boundaries - Yuvraj knew he had to stay on. He did, and got out on the last ball of the 14th over. The task for Kohli and Dhoni was cut out - India needed 66 off just six overs. Kohli exploded, and managed to dispatch every other ball outside the boundary. So much so, that the match was within India's reach by the start of the 19th over. Dhoni scored the winning runs, and Kohli’s 82 not out off 51 balls knocked Australia out of the tournament and took India into the semi-finals.
#9 54 & 41 vs South Africa - 3rd Test at Wanderers - 2018
After 9 consecutive Test series wins under Kohli - all in tropical conditions - the South Africa tour was his first big assignment. India lost the first two Test matches and the series, mainly because of poor batting. Kohli was the only batsman who was performing, and even a brilliant 153 wasn’t enough for India to win the 2nd Test. However, the team was up for the challenge in the 3rd Test and certainly not ready to concede a whitewash.
Deciding to bat first, India lost both their openers with the score at 13. While Pujara was focused on staying in rather than pushing the run rate, Kohli played his natural game. A 84-run partnership ensured that India were out of trouble, but only for a moment or so, as the team collapsed to a total of 187. An inspiring bowling performance meant that India were just trailing by seven runs in the first innings. India struggled in the second innings as well, and only Kohli and Rahane scored in their 40s, ensuring a decent target of 241 for South Africa. The bowlers didn’t disappoint, and India won the match by 63 runs. In the first seven years of his Test career and three years of his captaincy, this was India’s first win in South Africa.
#10 97 & 103 vs England - 3rd Test at Nottingham - 2018
India again lost the first two matches, but this time it was a five match series. The 3rd Test, beginning on the day Virat Kohli made his international debut (in an ODI vs Sri Lanka in 2008), was a turnaround of sorts. On the tenth anniversary of his senior international debut, Virat Kohli was soon in action after the first two wickets fell for 60 and 65. After Pujara fell with the score at 82, a counter-attacking partnership of 159 from Kohli and Rahane put India in command. But after the captain and vice-captain got out, the team again collapsed.
A fiery spell from Hardik Pandya led to England losing seven wickets for just 75 runs, which put India in the driver’s seat. By the end of Day 2, India in their second innings were leading by 292 with eight wickets in hand. With conditions and the match situation in control, Kohli played with more restraint in the second innings and made sure India, with all the time in the world, would bat England out of the game. Kohli’s 97 and 103 were crucial in setting England an improbable target of 521 runs in two days. India won for the first time in six Tests on English soil, by a margin of 203 runs.
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