IND v AUS 2020: Sanjay Manjrekar reveals how MS Dhoni backed Virat Kohli during 2011-12 Australia tour

Virat Kohli is the only cricketer to amass over 20,000 international runs in the previous decade. He has evolved to become the best all-format batsman over the years.

India’s hopes are pinned on Kohli for the Day-Night Test at Adelaide as well. However, the love affair between Kohli and the iconic South Australian venue began during the 2011-12 tour.

He got 11 and 0 in Melbourne. The New Year’s Sydney Test is well remembered for his controversial gesture towards the audience, but he didn’t do anything of note with the bat, managing only 23 and 9. India were 0-2 down with Kohli scoring only 43 runs from four innings.

During this time, Manjrekar infamously tweeted something that Twitter users don’t let him forget too easily.

I would still drop VVS & get rohit in for next test.Makes long term sense. give virat 1 more test..just to be sure he does not belong here.

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) January 6, 2012

Despite the likes of Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane banging on the door, the then-Indian skipper MS Dhoni backed Kohli for the Perth Test. India lost the Test but Kohli had a good outing, scoring 44 and 75.

The team management retained him for the Adelaide Test where he struck a stroke-filled 116. Virat Kohli's maiden Test century couldn’t prevent a 0-4 drubbing, but the Delhi batsman proved that he ‘belonged’ to the big leagues. He then hit a purple patch that lasted very long, and across formats.

Manjrekar, while speaking to Sony Sports Network, recently revealed that Kohli was on the verge of being dropped after failing in Melbourne and Sydney.

“Virat Kohli is Virat Kohli. He always finds ways to score runs,” Manjrekar said. “The hundred that he scored in the 2011/12 series, India lost it 0-4. They’d lost to England 0-4. And I think that was the only century scored by an Indian in that series. He was a young man who actually was on the verge of getting dropped after Sydney. Dhoni backed him; he played in Perth scored a 70 (75), and then he got that hundred.”

Virat Kohli's impressive record at Adelaide

In the tour that followed, Virat Kohli lit up the Adelaide Test with twin tons. It was his first Test as a captain, and India almost created history by winning it. Later that season, he slammed a World Cup century at the venue, against Pakistan.

In the three Tests that he has played at Adelaide, Virat Kohli has 431 runs at 71.83 and three centuries. He has 244 runs from four ODIs at the venue at 61, including two hundreds. In the solitary T20I that he has played at the venue, he has an unbeaten 90 from just 55 balls.

It was Cheteshwar Pujara’s century that paved the way for India’s victory at Adelaide during the 2018-19 tour. Manjrekar further elaborated on the Indian batsmen’s preference for the tracks at Adelaide.

“Now at Adelaide, a lot of Indian batsmen have got runs. It’s a pitch closer to home. It’s got pace, but the bouncer comes around this high (Pointing to his chest). It’s like an Indian pitch, but because it’s day/night and there’s going to be the pink ball, that changes things completely,” Manjrekar added.

The pink-ball Day-Night Test between India and Australia starts on December 17. Though India won their previous encounter in Adelaide, Australia have won all the four pink-ball Tests that they have played at this venue.