AUS v IND 2018-19: Top 5 Virat Kohli Test innings against Australia in Australia

Virat Kohli has an exemplary record against the Aussies even in their own backyard.

If we say that Virat Kohli loves to bat against Australia, it would only be an understatement.

Virat Kohli has been one of the greatest modern era batsmen produced by India. His record of 6331 runs in 73 Tests at an average of 54.57 with 24 centuries and a best of 243 speak for itself that the current Indian skipper is the backbone of the Indian batting.

For any batsman, his reputation is analyzed by his performance against the most dominant team of his era and arguably, Australia is the benchmark for Kohli and Kohli has done extremely well against his rivals. Kohli has instigated the Australian with his verbal volleys and marveled them with his bat.

Kohli has 992 runs against Australia in Australia in just 8 Tests with an average of 62 and a best of 169, with 5 centuries and 2 fifties. He started off with a century in Adelaide on his first tour down under in 2012 and since then, has been on the radar of the Australian bowlers on subsequent tour in 2014 and now in 2018.

Let’s have a look at the Top 5 Virat Kohli Test innings against Australia in Australia

116, ADELAIDE, 2012

Virat Kohli came in Australia with a huge reputation of a bad boy behind him. During the Test series as the senior players of the Indian team were exposed for weakened reflexes against Australia pace battery and Virat emerged as the new hope of the Indian batting.

Though he had scored only a fifty before the fourth and last Test of the series began in Adelaide; Kohli was going to become a name to fear down under. India had already lost the first three Tests of the series and it was only going to get worse for India. No Indian had scored a century leading upto this Test in the series and given the way Australia played, it wasn’t looking like anyone was going to.

Australia put up 604/7d thanks to 221 from Ricky Ponting and 210 from Michael Clarke. In the Indian innings, Virat Kohli proved to be the lone warrior with a magnificent 116 off 213 balls with 11 fours and 1 six. The next highest score was 35 by keeper Saha and 34 by captain Virender Sehwag.

The innings reminded everyone of Sachin’s effort in Sydney in 1992, as Kohli took on the best of the Australian attack and scored a memorable century, his first in Australia.

115, ADELAIDE, 2014

The Adelaide Test of 2014-15 series was the first Test in which Virat Kohli led India for the first time. MS Dhoni suffered a back injury and decided to skip the match, giving Kohli a chance to lead India. This Test was postponed after the untimely demise of Australia cricketer Phillip Hughes on 27 November 2014.

Meanwhile, Australia batted first and put on 517/7d with emotional centuries from Warner, Clarke, and Smith. India replied solidly with Vijay and Pujara making fifties, but captain Virat Kohli took it a notch further and compiled his first Test century as captain of Indian team, making 115 in 184 balls with 12 fours. India still only managed 444 runs in their first innings.

However, Kohli had saved his best for the second innings of the match, which will be discussed later on.

147, SYDNEY, 2015
After another run-fest from Australia, who slammed 572/7d with centuries from Warner (101) and Smith (117); India had to reply in kind to them.

M Vijay scored a duck, but KL Rahul scored a brilliant 110 and skipper Virat Kohli, who became the full-time Test skipper of India, after the retirement of MS Dhoni in between the Test series, scored a top class 147 off 230 balls with 20 fours.

He was sure of his shots and along with KL Rahul, took on the Aussies. Kohli was in full control of his game and was immediate to pounce on anything short or full and scored easily against a potent bowling attack.

141, ADELAIDE, 2014
If his first innings’ 115 was brilliant, Virat Kohli made it even better in the second innings of the 2014 Adelaide Test, his first match as Indian Test skipper.

India was set 364 runs to win the Test and India under the aggressive captaincy of Kohli, decided to go for the target and despite two cheap wickets of Pujara and Dhawan, Vijay (99) and Virat Kohli took on the Aussies and marched towards the target.

Kohli scored 141 in 175 balls with 16 fours and 1 six to his name. Though he looked good enough to take India to the target single-handedly, Lyon ran through the Indian middle order with his wicket, along with that of Rahane, Rohit, and Saha to win the match for Australia by 48 runs.

Kohli became the first Indian captain to score twin centuries in his first Test as skipper and both centuries were memorable ones and he gave the signal that India will not play for draws, rather going for wins at the cost of losing matches.

169, MELBOURNE, 2014
Steve Smith’s 192 took Australia to 530 in the 3^rd Test of the 2014 series in Sydney. India replied in kind with Vijay’s brilliant 68, but India lost wickets in a heap. Then came two of the best brilliant counter-attacking centuries from Ajinkya Rahane (147), who played a brilliant support role to a more attacking Kohli who slammed a brilliant 169 runs, taking India to 465 runs.

Kohli took on the aggression of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and the spin of Nathan Lyon and took them apart. He was even hit by a return throw from Johnson and gave it back to him verbally, further egging him and he smoked Johnson’s 150 kmph short balls to square boundaries of the MCG.

His innings was a masterclass in counter-attacking batting and will remain one of his best down under.