Virat Kohli turns 35: Revisiting Indian batting superstar's greatest knocks on his birthday

It’s a big day for Virat Kohli on Sunday, with the Indian batting superstar turning 35-years-young!

Kohli, however, will be having a working 35th birthday with India facing South Africa in a highly-anticipated ICC World Cup clash at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.

The former India captain on his part will hope to make the birthday a special one by bringing up his 49th ODI hundred. One that will help him go level with Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record, although Kohli’s focus will be as much on helping register their eighth win in a row as it will be on the historic feat.

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), additionally has planned fireworks and laser shows to mark both the high-octane clash as well as Kohli’s birthday, and will also send a cake to the Indian dressing room for celebrations.

To celebrate Kohli’s big day, we take a look at 10 of Kohli’s greatest knocks, both in international cricket as well as in the IPL (in chronological order):

107 vs Sri Lanka (ODI) in Kolkata, 2009

A first international century is always a special moment in every batter’s career and for Kohli, that moment arrived a little over a year after he made his international debut against Sri Lanka. It was in December 2009 against the same opposition that Kohli 107, building a 224-run third-wicket partnership with Gautam Gambhir that helped India recover from 23/2 and chase down a target of 316, clinching the five-ODI series with a game to spare.

116 vs Australia (Test) in Adelaide, 2012

A little over two years after slamming his maiden international ton, Kohli would bring up the three-figure score in the Test format for the first time with a gritty 116 against Australia in Adelaide during their 2011-12 tour Down Under. Kohli braved a series of hostile spells, primarily from Peter Siddle, during his three-hour stay at the crease and also gave it back to the fielders whenever they got too chirpy from time to time, and thus began his long-lasting love story with the Australian team.

133 not out vs Sri Lanka (ODI) in Hobart, 2012

During the same tour as his 116 in Adelaide, Kohli produced a breathtaking 133 not out in just 86 deliveries during the Commonwealth Bank series that helped India make a mockery of the 321-run target set by Sri Lanka at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval. Kohli’s assault on Lasith Malinga in particular was a sight to behold, with the Sri Lankan pace spearhead getting smashed all over the park and conceding nearly a hundred runs (96) in less than eight overs (7.4). Kohli had been in the international circuit for more than three years but it was this knock that put him on the cricketing map.

183 vs Pakistan (ODI) in Dhaka, 2012

Virat Kohli celebrates after bringing up his century against Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup. Reuters

Kohli was in the form of a lifetime in early 2012, and less than a month after his sensational assault on Malinga and the Sri Lankans in Tasmania, Kohli would smash 183 off 148 deliveries — his highest ODI score till date — against Pakistan in Dhaka during the Asia Cup. Thanks to his sensational assault on the Pakistani attack that comprised Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi, India ended up chasing another 300-plus total (330) in a canter despite opener Gautam Gambhir getting dismissed for a duck in the second delivery of the chase.

141 vs Australia (Test) in Adelaide, 2014

The first Test of the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy witnessed Kohli slam 115 in the first innings and stitch the first of many memorable middle-order partnerships with Ajinkya Rahane. It was his 141 in the second innings though, that truly set him apart. India were set a target of 364, and the Indians could have played for a draw. Kohli, instead went for victory, taking India past 300 and getting them within touching distance before ultimately falling short.

82 vs Australia (T20I) in Mohali, 2016

Virat Kohli struck an unbeaten 82 off 51 deliveries against Australia in Mohali in the 2016 World T20. Reuters

The first of Kohli’s two memorable 82s in the T20 World Cup, Kohli produced what is considered one of the finest T20 knocks of all time, smashing a 51-ball 82 in a game where the second-highest score among the Indians was Yuvraj Singh’s 21. It should have been a tricky chase for the Indians, especially after they were reduced to 49/3 with openers Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and No 4 Suresh Raina back in the hut. Instead, they ended up chasing down the 161-run target with six wickets and five deliveries to spare.

113 vs Kings XI Punjab (T20) in Bengaluru, 2016

It would be a crime to talk about Kohli’s greatest knocks and not mention his famous 113 off just 50 deliveries during Royal Challengers Bangalore’s home game against Kings XI Punjab in the 2016 Indian Premier League. Not only did Kohli bring up an unprecedented fourth century in that season, the record of which stands to this day, but the then-RCB skipper braved through pain to set the Chinnaswamy alight. Kohli had undergone multiple stitches on his left hand due to a split webbing, and still batted like nothing had happened at all.

149 vs England (Test) in Birmingham, 2018

Kohli’s troubles against James Anderson and the moving ball in the 2014 Test series in England is well-documented, with the batting star having collected just 134 runs in 10 outings at an average of 13.40. Later in 2018, during the first Test at Birmingham’s Edgbaston — England’s fortress at that — Kohli would exorcise the ghosts of that tour that had tormented him continuously for four years with a knock of 149. A knock that was every bit a masterclass, with the next highest score in that innings being Shikhar Dhawan’s 26.

122 not out against Afghanistan (T20I) in Dubai, 2022

It wasn’t too long ago that Kohli had hit the lowest point in his cricketing career. He had gone for nearly three years without a century across international cricket and in the IPL, and would finally end that long wait with an unbeaten 122 against Afghanistan in Dubai in last year’s Asia Cup.

Virat Kohli celebrates after scoring his 71st international ton against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup. AP

The knock, the long-awaited 71st international ton and his first in T20Is didn’t matter for much in the end, as India were already on their way out of the tournament. It did, however, matter in the longer run as Indian cricket and its vast legion of fans finally got Kohli of the old back.

82 vs Pakistan (T20I) in Melbourne, 2022

The second of his unbeaten T20 World Cup 82s came against Pakistan in Melbourne on 23 October last year and came at a time when India were staring at a certain defeat after getting reduced to 31/4 chasing 160. Against Pakistan at the ‘G’, however, it was Kohli back to doing what he does best — turn tricky run chases into cakewalks with sheer brilliance and determination along with a sprinkling of luck.

Kohli smashed six fours and four sixes — including an unbelievable shot over the sight screen off Haris Rauf — in his 53-ball knock as India ended up winning the contest from a near-impossible situation, off the very last delivery of the chase at that.