India’s five most memorable wins under Virat Kohli’s captaincy
Virat Kohli was removed as the Indian ODI captain ahead of the Men in Blue’s tour to South Africa. Rohit Sharma will replace the legendary batter as the captain of the side in limited-overs cricket henceforth. However, in his four-year tenure as the leader, Kohli led the Indian side with distinction and led India to a lot of memorable wins.
Here are the 5 most memorable triumphs of the Indian side under Kohli.
- India vs West Indies (2019)
On 22nd December 2019, India and the West Indies were involved in a high-scoring thriller. West Indies wielded the willow first and posted 315/5 on the board. In reply, it was skipper Virat Kohli who led the chase with the willow. The right-hander scored a masterly 85 and helped the ‘Men in Blue’ overhaul the target with 4 wickets and 8 balls to spare. Shardul Thakur also applied the finishing touches, scoring a 6-ball 17*.
- India vs England (2021)
India and England were involved in a cliff-hanger of a contest in Pune. India batted first and were bowled out for 329, with Rishabh Pant scoring a blazing 78 off 62 deliveries. In reply, England looked down and out at one stage, with their scorecard reading 257/8, but Sam Curran continued the fight. The left-hander scored a fighting 95* to keep his side alive. However, India held their nerves in the crunch moments of the match, and the Virat Kohli-led outfit beat their opposition by just seven runs.
- South Africa vs India (2018)
India thrashed South Africa 5-1 in a six-match ODI series in 2018 in the land of the Proteas, and Virat Kohli completed the demolition job in the 6th match, by scoring a superb 129* off just 96 deliveries. South Africa batted first and posted a total of 204. In reply, India just romped past the target with eight wickets to spare, courtesy a special innings from their captain.
- India vs England (2017)
India chased down a mammoth target of 351 set by England, and that was once again due to the brilliance of their skipper with the bat. England wielded the willow first and piled up a gargantuan total of 350 on the board.
In reply, India were tottering at 63/4, and it looked as if India would surrender meekly. But then, Virat Kohli and Kedar Jadhav stepped up for their side and put on a counter-attacking 200-run partnership. Both batters scored resplendent centuries and helped India to a sensational 3-wicket victory.
- India vs Pakistan (2019 World Cup)
This will qualify as the greatest ODI win of the Indian side under Kohli. The 2019 World Cup witnessed the two arch-rivals, India and Pakistan locking horns with each other in a charged-up environment. India batted first and posted a total of 336/5, with Rohit Sharma plundering 140. Virat Kohli also chipped in with a handy 77 as well. In reply, Pakistan were nowhere in the chase, and could only manage to post 212/6 in their quota of 40 overs (D/L Method came into play, Pakistan needed to chase 302 in 40 overs). Rohit Sharma won the Player of the Match award.
