4 Greatest overseas Test innings played by Virat Kohli

The fact that he managed to play more deliveries in the first Test at Edgbaston than the total number of deliveries he faced in the five-Test series in 2014 speaks volumes of his temperamental transformation and his responsibility as a skipper.

Virat Kohli has come a long way as a Test Cricketer. From being criticised and panned for his lacklustre performances on the tour of England in 2014, where he averaged a meager 13, to coming out and emerging as the sole flag bearer on the current tour of England, Kohli's transformation in the Test arena has been a fairytale in itself.

Kohli has been the only silver lining in an otherwise lackadaisical Indian batting line-up in the ongoing Test series so far.

While he managed to score more than 45% of team India's runs in the first Test, the rest of the batsmen struggled to reach double figures, with top order batsmen like Dhawan, Vijay and vice-captain Rahane struggling to find their feet.

Kohli has played some exceptional Test knocks over the past few years. Let us have look at some his greatest overseas Test knocks here.

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#1 116 vs Australia, Adelaide 2012

In a series which was swept 4-0 by Australia and ended up as a disaster for team India, Kohli's coming of age was the sole consolation.

Team India had been hammered in the first three Tests and the plot in the final Test was no different as the Indian top order, which included stalwarts such as Sachin, Dravid, and Laxman failed to stand up to the challenge posed by the Australian pacers.

However, Virat Kohli, who was still struggling to find his feet in Test Cricket, stood up to the Aussies to make a statement.

Coming into the Test, Kohli was under a bit of pressure as he'd managed only 162 runs in the first three Tests and the team management wanted to exclude him in favour of Rohit Sharma. Skipper Dhoni and his deputy Sehwag though pressed for Kohli's inclusion and he did not disappoint them.

In an innings where the next highest score was Gambhir's 38, Kohli strode along like a single man army to take India to a respectable total as he scored his maiden Test century.

Coming in to bat at a time when the Indians were teetering at 87 for 4, Kohli forged a terrific 114-run partnership with Saha.

After Saha's dismissal, Kohli made sure that he protected the tail as he took most of the strike and went on accumulating runs at a brisk pace. In the end, Kohli was the last man to be dismissed after scoring 116 as he took India to a respectable 272

India though lost the match by a huge margin of 298. However, the bright side was that this match produced the birth of a Test batsman with terrific temperament who would go on to essay some of the best innings in Indian Test history.

This match also marked the beginning of Kohli's love affair with the Adelaide Oval.

#2 115 and 141 vs Australia, Adelaide 2014

Coming in after a disastrous series in England, Kohli scored twin centuries on his captaincy debut and made a statement

Coming in after a disastrous tour of England, Kohli was named the captain of the Indian team for the first Test vs Australia after regular skipper MS Dhoni was ruled out due to injury. It was a tough situation for a person whose Test career was at crossroads after failing for 10 innings in England.

However, Kohli put all the demons of England past him as he played two sensational knocks in his captaincy debut. In the first innings, Kohli scored a brilliant 115 and functioned as the fulcrum around whom the rest of the batting lineup revolved.

His cause was helped by Vijay, Pujara and Rahane, all who scored half-centuries. Kohli's ton took India closer to Australia's first innings total of 517.

It was his performance in India's second innings though which stands out as one of the greatest innings by an Indian captain in Australia. Chasing a formidable 364 for victory, Vijay provided India with the perfect start and was soon joined by Kohli after the cheap dismissals of Dhawan and Pujara.

In the ensuing overs, Kohli played what went down as one of the best counter-attacking innings by an Indian batsman down under.

Kohli took the attack to the Australian bowlers as he tried to unsettle them with his timely boundaries and played a strike rate of 80+. His cause was aided by Vijay at the other end who played the perfect folly with his patient 99.

After Vijay's dismissal though, the other batsmen fell like nine pins and it was once again left to Kohli's prerogative to save his team' cause. The need to finish off things quickly dawned upon Kohli soon as wickets were tumbling regularly at the other end.

Going in for an ambitious pull over square leg, Kohli perished for 141. India agonizingly fell short by 48 runs but Kohli's heroics ensured that Australia had to toil hard for a victory.

#3 153 vs South Africa, Centurion 2018

Kohli's incredible ton at Centurion was the only silver lining in an otherwise forgettable match for India

Undoubtedly one of the greatest innings played by Kohli across formats in his career, his fighting 153 in Centurion was one of the highlights of the series.

Another innings where the top order failed to get off, this performance turned out to be yet another one-man show from Kohli.

The impact of his innings appears much more significant when one considers the fact that none of the other batsmen failed to score even a half-century.

Coming in to bat at 28 for 2, Kohli applied his mind on an extremely difficult batting track against the likes of Rabada, Ngidi, Philander, and Morkel.

He did not waste too many deliveries and started scoring at a brisk rate and took his chances against the bowlers.

After a brief partnership with Vijay that steadied the ship, Kohli took the onus of scoring runs on himself as none of the other batsmen who followed Vijay stayed at the crease for a long time.

The highlight of this innings was the fact that Kohli never ceased playing his shots despite tumbling of wickets.

It appeared as if Kohli was playing on a different track compared to the other batsmen, as he dispatched not only the bad deliveries but even the good ones to the boundary.

The difference was stark between Kohli and other batsmen as he scored almost 50% of India's 1st innings total.

However, this too went in vain as India lost the match by a difference of 135 runs. Kohli's innings though, firmly established him as one of the greatest batsmen in the world, as South Africa has one of the most difficult conditions to bat on and Kohli's single-handed handling of South Africa's ferocious pacers on a bouncy Centurion track made comparisons with the all-time greats of the game inevitable.

#4 149 vs England, Edgbaston 2018

Yet again, it was Kohli who saved India from embarrassment in Edgbaston

The same familiar old story. A terrible top order collapse, the middle order not contributing much and the tail refusing to wag. Yet again, it was Kohli who emerged as the sole flag bearer. This has become a recurring theme of Indian Test Cricket of late, especially in overseas conditions.

Having bowled out England for 287, India's openers provided a steady 50 run opening partnership. It wasn't too long last though as the first three wickets fell soon. The onus was once again on Kohli to steady the ship, and he did it with aplomb.

Once again Kohli batted his heart out and appeared technically proficient against the English pacers as he took them heads on.

He drove, cut the ones outside off that didn't appear too menacing and paced his innings with poise and precision.

Kohli was also able to find and pierce the gaps with accuracy. He was careful enough to leave the seaming deliveries outside off, a practice that had deserted him in 2014. This was a different Kohli though.

He scored 22 boundaries when other batsmen were barely able to survive. And once settled, Kohli took the aggressive route and started taking the attack back to the bowlers.

The value of his innings can be gauged from the fact that while Kohli shared a partnership of 105 with the tailenders (Shami, Umesh, and Ishant), the three of them scored a combined tally of 8. Such was Kohli's dominance.

Sadly, it was a repeat of Centurion 2018 as other batsmen failed to step up once again in the second innings and India fell short by 31 runs in the end.