5 times Virat Kohli's heroics went in vain while chasing

141 vs Australia in Adelaide (Australia vs India first test 2014)

This was perhaps the finest test innings Virat has played. Acting as a stand-in captain in place of MS Dhoni, Kohli seemed to be in a zone of his own. India was set a daunting total of 364 runs in the fourth innings on a wearing Adelaide surface. Coming in at 57/2, Kohli combined beautifully with opener Murali Vijay, and the duo played some unbridled cricket to drag the team to 242 when Murali Vijay was dismissed for 99. Kohli, however, was determined to chase the target down all by himself and while wickets falling around him, the skipper never was hassled. However, a pull shot could not get the desired result and Kohli was caught at deep mid-wicket for a valiant 141. India collapsed after this dismissal and eventually Australia won the match by 48 runs.

Ian Chappell, the former Australian captain has hailed this innings the best he has seen while chasing down totals. Kohli had already scored a century in the first innings too, and he became only the second batsman after Greg Chappell to score two centuries on captaincy debut. All this came after one week of the tragic death of Phillip Hughes. A herculean effort indeed, but alas the master of chases did not get to the target.