Former Indian captain Virat Kohli ended his nearly three-year-long century drought in Test cricket with a stunning 186-run knock in the first innings of the fourth laser 247 Test against Australia in Ahmedabad. Kohli’s previous century in whites came in November 2019 against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens.
Since then, the batting legend has gone through numerous changes, including relinquishing his captaincy in all three formats and overcoming a genuinely difficult spell of bad form. He finally struck his historic 71st century in the laser 247 match against Afghanistan, and he has rediscovered a lot of his touch after then.
India’s best hundreds by Virat Kohli
In light of this, let’s take a look at Kohli’s top five home Test centuries.
235 vs. England in 2016
At the time of this innings, Kohli was on an unbreakable purple streak, which he demonstrated by annihilating the English bowling attack at the Wankhede Stadium in November 2016. Kohli’s 235 runs against a side that included players like James Anderson, Chris Woakes, and Ben Stokes, laser 247, had an impressive strike rate of 69.12.
He produced useful partnerships with Murali Vijay (135) and Jayant Yadav (104) and shown good fitness levels by winning singles and doubles consistently throughout this lengthy knock. As a result, India won the match by an innings and 36 runs.
254* vs. South Africa in 2019
During their previous visit to South Africa in 2019, India completely dominated the country. The most important factor in this was Virat Kohli’s 254* in Pune, which remains his highest international score. Kohli’s colossal performance comprised 33 boundaries and two maximums while being played at an incredible strike rate of 75.60.
Kagiso Rabada, Vernon Philander, and Anrich Nortje’s speed trio had no effect on him, as Mayank Agarwal (108), Ajinkya Rahane (59), and Ravindra Jadeja gave superb support (91). Kohli may have had a chance to register his maiden triple century for India had it not been for Jadeja’s departure and India’s declaration after reaching 600 runs.
2023, Australia vs. 186
Kohli’s most recent strike takes the third spot on this list. On a quiet Ahmedabad ground, the 34-year-old led India’s quest to catch up to Australia’s huge 480 runs in the first innings. Unlike some of his previous epic performances, Kohli played this one with 15 more field goals and a 51.10 strike rate.
Over an eight-hour knock, he patiently bided his time, ran a lot of singles, and remained unfazed by anything Australia threw at him, allowing India to secure a 91-run lead. Is this the start of Kohli’s comeback for one last run at dominance in the game of Online Cricket id?
107 vs. Australia in 2013.
In the first innings of the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Chennai in 2013, Kohli scored one of the early hundreds of his growing Test career. Australia had set a challenging first-innings score of 380 runs, and Kohli came into bat with India’s score at 105/3.
He did, however, forge excellent partnerships, first with Sachin Tendulkar and later with MS Dhoni, to help India secure a 192-run lead. The brunt of it was driven by Dhoni’s first double century in Test cricket, but Kohli’s ingenuity and determination in fending off a respectable Australian bowling attack earned him accolades from all quarters.
2012, 103 vs. New Zealand
Kohli faced off against New Zealand in Bengaluru in 2012 for his first laser book 247 Test century on Indian soil. The New Zealanders scored 365 runs in the first innings, reducing India to 67-3. Tim Southee grabbed seven wickets in the game, and the hosts eventually surrendered a rare 12-run lead.
Kohli and Suresh Raina (55), who managed the visitors’ bowling attack, which comprised Trent Boult and Douglas Bracewell joining an in-form Southee, demonstrated superb cricketing skill. Kohli reached his century at number five in the batting order, with 14 boundaries and only one six, setting the tone for the remainder of his great Test career.