India vs New Zealand 2019: Top three Virat Kohli innings against the Kiwis

Every Indian fan waits for Virat Kohli to come to the crease as they did to the great Sachin Tendulkar. To fit into the shoes of such a great player wasn’t a joke and Kohli has justified this with brilliant performances across formats. The ‘Run Machine’ as he is called, is the best in business while chasing big totals in the ODIs. Out of 39 tons in the limited format, 24 of them have come while batting second at a jaw-dropping average of 68.75.

Virat has been the prime force behind India’s success in the past five years. His attacking brand of cricket has been the best lubricant for his dominance against every side. After a historic Test and ODI series victory at Australia, India will travel to New Zealand for five ODIs and three T20Is.

Virat’s numbers in ODIs against the Kiwis is an astounding 1154 runs in 19 matches at an average of 72.12, which includes five hundreds. The Black Caps have barely been able to sustain his supremacy over the years and on that note, let's take a look at Virat Kohli's top three innings versus the Kiwis.

---

#1: 123 in Napier (2014)

Virat Kohli

It was the first ODI at Napier and India were keen to start the series on a high. Having won the toss, the Indian captain put the opposition to bat. They didn’t start well, losing 2 wickets in the first 8 overs. The contributions of Williamson and Taylor in the middle overs helped them recover. Corey Anderson came at number six and scored 68 runs off just 40 deliveries, taking them to 292.

While chasing, Kohli came in when India lost Rohit Sharma in the sixth over, with a stiff target in hand. He along with Shikhar Dhawan put on a partnership of 59 runs for the second wicket. After this, wickets kept on tumbling at one end while Kohli continued to pile up runs. Dhoni came in when the score was 129 for 4 and the pair produced 95 runs for the fifth wicket. They ran hard, converted the ones into twos and tried to release the pressure. In the process, Kohli got to his hundred in 93 balls.

Dhoni fell in the 43rd over which meant that the match was in Kohli’s hands. He tried his very best but failed to take his team home in spite of scoring 123 runs off 111 balls (fours-11, sixes-2). Even though India lost this match, it was an innings that will always be remembered for its never-say-die attitude.

#2: 154* in Mohali (2016)

Virat Kohli smashed 150 against New Zealand at Mohali

After losing the test series, the Kiwis headed into limited overs with a statement of intent. The first two encounters were close contests, with each team winning a match. The series was set up quite well when the team arrived at Mohali for the third ODI. India won the toss and elected to field.

The visitors got off to a decent start before Guptill departed. Tom Latham played an important role at the top of the order while Neesham’s half-century took the team’s score to 285 in 50 overs.

As far as India were concerned, the openers were back in the pavilion at the end of 9 overs, leaving the team with an uphill task. Dhoni joined Kohli at the center and accumulated 150 runs for the third wicket. Kohli reached his fifty in 49 balls and as always, was looking for a big score. Dhoni’s support proved to be immense as he scored 80 off 91 balls before pushing the ball to the short cover fielder to complete a soft dismissal.

His partner though, continued and got to his 26th century in 104 balls. He accelerated when the situation demanded and consequentially, guided India to a win. His innings consisted of 16 boundaries and a six. He remained unbeaten on 154, which remains the highest score by any player on that ground in ODIs.

#3: 105 in Guwahati (2010)

Kohli scored a match-winning century at Guwahati

New Zealand toured India for 3 Tests and 5 ODIs in November 2010. India won the Test series 1-0. The team for the ODI was announced, with Gautam Gambhir asked to lead the side in the absence of fellow senior men.

The first ODI was held at Nehru Stadium, Guwahati, where India lost the toss and was put to bat.

Murali Vijay and Gambhir scored 44 runs for the first wicket. In came the young man from Delhi who was full of confidence and determination. With the number of runs he had scored, his place was secured in the squad. He built his innings very well and got to fifty in 63 balls. In the next 37 balls, he accumulated another 50 runs, thereby taking himself to a fourth ODI hundred.

This was Kohli’s second successive hundred, with the former coming against Australia in Vizag. His century enabled India to post a challenging target of 276. With the contributions of S Sreesanth, Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuvraj Singh with the ball, the visitors fell short of the total by 40 runs.

Virat Kohli was adjudged the Player of the Match for his magnificent effort.