5 of India's greatest Test wins under Virat Kohli

India stunned the world by defeating England by 203 runs in the Third Test. Not many gave Team India a chance after the Lords debacle and the players and team management faced a lot of heat. The Indian team was under tremendous pressure and some of the players were fighting for their careers. But the Indian players showed a lot of character and have clawed their way back in the series through a thumping win at Trent Bridge.

While the credit goes to all the players for registering this memorable victory, Virat Kohli deserves special accolades for his stupendous performance both as a batsman and captain. Kohli led from the front playing crucial knocks in both the innings. He should also be credited for Hardik Pandya's terrific all-round performance as Kohli backed the all-rounder even after facing a lot of criticism.

This victory will surely be one of the most cherished Test wins in Kohli's tenure as captain. India has achieved a lot under Kohli and has lost only one Test series under him so far. We will look at 5 of India's greatest Test wins under Virat Kohli.

#5 3rd Test against West Indies, 2016, St Lucia

Indian bowlers led India to a remarkable victory at St Lucia

India registered a terrific come-from-behind win against the hosts West Indies in 2016. The scorecard might suggest an easy win for the Indian team but considering the amount of time lost due to rain, it was a tremendous effort by the Indian team. An entire day of play was washed out due to rain and the possibility of a result was very less. India scored 353 runs in the first innings and the hosts were 1 wicket down at the beginning of day 4.

But Bhuvneshwar Kumar created havoc in the West Indies batting line-up as India bundled out West Indies' last seven wickets for just 23 runs taking a lead of 128 runs. In the second innings, India scored quick runs and set West Indies a target of 346, a target that proved to be too much for them and India won the match by 237 runs. The Indian bowlers took 17 West Indies' wickets in just 63.5 overs.

#4 4th Test against England, 2016, Mumbai

Kohli raises his bat after reaching 200

It was a do-or-die match for England as they were trailing the five-match Test series 2-0. On the other hand, India were looking to take an unassailable lead of 3-0. Thanks to debutant Keaton Jennings' maiden Test hundred, England put up a good score of 400 runs on the board. India had a good start to their innings but suffered a mini collapse and were reduced to 307 for 6.

Captain Kohli combined with Jadeja and Jayant Yadav and helped India reach a mammoth score of 631. Kohli showed his class by hitting a magnificent 235. In the second innings, England batsmen had no answers to India's spin attack and were all-out on a score of 195 runs. India won the match by an innings and 36 runs and took an undefeatable lead of 3-0.

#3 3rd Test vs South Africa, 2018, Johannesburg

Indian team won against a strong South African side at their home turf

Coming to Johannesburg for the third and final Test, having already lost the Test series the Indian team was playing for pride. Even though the match was a dead rubber, it wasn't played like one. Both the teams played with a lot of intention which resulted in a fantastic Test match. Despite Kohli's fighting half-century India could manage to score only 187 runs in the first innings.

However, Indian bowlers bowled brilliantly and restricted the hosts to 194 runs. In the second innings, after a minor collapse, the comeback men, Rahane and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, snitched a crucial partnership taking India to a score of 247 runs. Despite Elgar and Amla's gritty knocks, the Proteas failed to reach the target and India won the Test by 63 runs.

#2 3rd Test against England, 2018, Nottingham

Kohli was under a lot of pressure before the match

Virat Kohli's captaincy and tactics were under the scanner after the first couple of Tests. Even though Kohli was excelling with the bat, his team's performance was ordinary to say the least. But the team came back strongly in the Third Test.

Kohli and Rahane might have missed their centuries but were successful in putting India in a commanding position on Day 1. Hardik Pandya shone with the ball on day 2 as India bamboozled for a paltry score of 161. Indian batsmen extended India's dominance and gave England a target of 521. Despite Buttler's and Stokes' stern resistance India came on top and won the Test comfortably by 203 runs.

#1 2nd Test against Australia, 2017, Bengaluru

Tempers were flying high at Bengaluru

The less fancied Australian team had stunned India by winning the first Test and the onus was now on the Indian team. And they didn't have the best of starts. Indian batting failed again as India could only manage 189 runs in the first innings. Australia took a lead of 95 runs, which is more than useful in low scoring matches. When everything looked over for India, Pujara and Rahane put their hands up and put up a match-changing partnership of 118 runs.

Australia needed 188 runs in the last innings to win the match and the series 2-0. But Ashwin had other plans. The off-spinner took 6 wickets and the Australian side fell 75 runs short of the target. This match will also be remembered for the famous Ishant-Smith imitation incident and also for Smith's brain fade moment. This was arguably one of the most intense matches of recent times.