The Career-Defining Innings Of Virat Kohli in ODI and Test Cricket

As one of the modern-day superstars of cricket celebrates his birthday tomorrow (November 5), let's take a look at the career of this-this special talent from Delhi. Its Virat Kohli's day tomorrow and it is time to describe his achievements in the 22 yards that have made him the champion he is today.

From being a cheeky little kid to becoming a 'Man' as he wished, this batting genius has gone leaps and bounds in the decade of his glittering international career. As Virat has just turned 30 this November, we will look back at his 10 years of international cricket with very fond memories. It has been one of the fantastic journeys so far and as some people feel, a cricketer's best period is usually during 29-34 years of age and with that in mind, we are still fortunate as Virat has still got a good four years left before he turns 34. 2018 has easily been one of his best years in international cricket as he has been in red-hot form throughout the year. He has notched up runs for fun, scored hundreds whenever he liked and has also conquered his past demons like the pace bowling of England and thereby, erasing the nightmarish memories of his torrid tour in 2014.

For every great champion of this wonderful sport, there should be a kickstart to their brilliance, an innings that will turn their fortunes on its head and show to the rest of the world, how special they are. This Champion, Virat Kohli, is no different. As The King turns 30 and is showcasing his brilliance in almost every game that he takes the field, it will be nice to recollect the moment where it all started and that made the cricketing world take notice of this highly talented genius from Delhi.

The Making Of Virat Kohli, The Chase Master in ODIs:

Rewind your clocks back to 2012. It was on the 28th of February 2012, and India got ready to face a crucial game against Sri Lanka in the CB Series held in Australia. India had to win that game to have a slight chance of making it to the finals and they not only had to win, but they had to win by a big margin, to stay alive in the competition. They also had to depend on the next game, which was out of their control. But that game was a must-win game for India to stand a chance to play the finals and MS Dhoni, the then India captain, had remarked before the start of the game that his team was already out of contention for a spot in the finals.

Sri Lanka batted first and piled on the misery for India, as Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara stiched a mammoth double-century partnership in what seemed to have clinched the result in favour of Sri Lanka. If that wasn't enough, India had to chase down the humongous 321 runs target before 40 overs, a target that seemed out of reach at the end of the first half of the game.

India did have the batting powerhouse in them to chase it down, but to do it within 40 overs seemed to be a herculean task. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar started off on the right note by scoring at a brisk rate. Both fell for 30+ scores before the first 10 overs and the task was even tougher from then on.

Sachin fell in the 10th over and out walked Virat Kohli. Little did the proud cricketing nation know, that a cricketing genius was about to emerge over the course of the next 25 overs. Right from the word go, he exhibited his class as he plundered runs at will.

If his threading the off side field was a treat to watch, his bottom-handed strokes through mid wicket had class written all over it. Not a single bowler was spared, as he drove and lofted with enormous ease. Not to forget that Malinga, in particular, had to bear the brunt of this young 24-year-old kid, who was taking the yorker-specialist for a journey around the Hobart Stadium. He conceded a whopping 96 runs in that game, as Virat Kohli was in his marvellous best.

Virat had a crucial partnership with Gambhir and after he fell for 64, Kohli had an ever-reliable Suresh Raina for company as India finished the game in just 36.4 overs. By the time the chase was done, he had scored a masterly 133* off just 86 balls and there was a guy who stood up for India in a fearless manner. There was a guy who virtually dragged India out of the airport with a stunning display of batting. There was a guy who had emerged as the biggest positive for India in that CB Series.

MS Dhoni was right in the end, as India were eliminated from the CB Series, but not before they were made to believe that they can qualify, thanks to a scintillating Virat Kohli ton. He kept their hopes alive, only to be denied by an unfavourable result in the next game.

Though India did not make it to the finals, they had unearthed a special kid on that Hobart night, a kid who was highly positive in all situations, a kid who started finishing off run-chases for dinner and a kid whom the entire nation could bank upon, when India is in crisis.

Well and truly, Virat Kohli's 133 in Hobart is the kickstart innings of his career in ODIs and the fact that it came during a crucial run chase, makes it all the more special. He has to play many vital knocks in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, if India is to win the trophy.

He already has 38 ODI tons and there is still a lot more to come, but Indian cricket fans will fondly turn to this Hobart knock when they think about where it all started. Even Virat will agree that it was this innings that kickstarted his career as one of the best chasers that the game has ever witnessed. This was the start of a long love affair between Virat Kohli and run chases.

A king with a gifted willow had emerged on that night in Hobart, A diamond had been unearthed who was destined to adorn Indian cricket for a long time, A ton-machine had sprung up who spared no opposition when he was on song and a chase master who glorifies the art of chasing, had shot to limelight on that special night.

Truly, a fine memory about Virat Kohli that is worth recollecting!

As we look back, Virat Kohli's twin hundreds in the Adelaide Test in 2014 was special

The Making of Virat Kohli, The Run Accumulator in Tests:

A magnificent innings in whites is always much appreciated. More so, if that innings comes after a dismal outing in England. Back in 2014, Virat Kohli had already stamped his authority in the coloured jersey, as he had transformed into one of the batting mainstays of the Indian lineup. In Tests, he had played some delightful knocks but he was not as dominating a batsman he was, compared to ODIs. The hundreds did come along the way, but the torrid times that he faced in England, against the mighty swing of Jimmy Anderson, made critics question his place in the Indian test side.

He was expected to score hundreds in the test series in England, considering the consistency he was exhibiting in ODIs. But it was not to be, as he fell innings after innings by nicking deliveries that were outside the off stump. He aggregated 134 runs in that tour across five different venues and ten short-lived stays in the middle. The star of the modern day Indian lineup was suddenly facing the heat, thanks to that single tour to England.

He had a lot of homework to do before the next overseas series. He had to tour Australia, which was equally challenging. All eyes were on Virat Kohli when he took the field in the Adelaide test in 2014. Remember, he had just completed a poor tour of England four months back and might have been in the worst possible mindset. Never easy when you are completely out of form and made to tour a country like Australia.

This is what makes Virat Kohli special! In the very first test in Adelaide, he stunned all his critics in stunning fashion by scoring two masterful hundreds in the same test. He scored 115 and 141 in the two innings in that test, which was a fantastic achievement considering the fact that he went through ten tough times with the bat in the England series. He faced the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, and Nathan Lyon with high confidence and played a captain's knock in both the innings of the test. He had already scored a hundred in the Adelaide test in the 2011-12 tour of Australia, but this one was something special.

This was also his first Test match as an Indian captain, and by playing two masterly knocks in his very first Test as captain, he had shown the cricketing world that captaincy is not going to affect his batting one bit, and it was the start of many of the top knocks that he has played with the willow in hand, as a captain of Team India.

This innings is special in another way too. India had to chase 364 in the second essay, and most of the captains in the world would have instructed their team members to go for a draw rather than trying for an improbable win. But Virat Kohli, the aggressive leader he is, instructed his troop to go for a win. He did lead from the front by scoring a classy 141 off just 175 balls and had an able partner in Vijay, who agonizingly fell one short of a masterly hundred. But apart from these two, nobody showed any fight whatsoever and India was bowled out for 315, just 48 short of what would have been a magnificent win. Even though India lost, the fact that they went for a win was commendable. This was the positivity and confidence that the New India under Virat Kohli was exhibiting! He went on to score four hundreds in that series with the Adelaide heroics being the start of something special.

Virat had played some good knocks in Test cricket before the Adelaide test in 2014, but due to various reasons as mentioned above, this innings of Virat Kohli might have well provided the much-needed impetus for him, going forward. His heroics with the bat is nothing short of extraordinary from then on, and the latest icing on the cake being able to conquer England as well, where he failed last time around.

He has conquered South Africa, humbled New Zealand, stamped his authority in Australia and decimated England of late, to have a successful record against the SENA nations. With age by his side, there are so many special ones yet to be delivered but Adelaide 2014 will always be remembered for the making of Virat Kohli - The captain who accumulates runs in almost all conditions. A billion eyes turn towards him, as he wields his willow every game, with runs and tons written all over it!

With 24 test tons to his name, we can get ready to witness more of the same as his game is only getting better and better with each passing match. Such is the standard that he has set for himself, that anything short of a Virat Kohli century these days, is viewed with utmost disappointment from the Indian cricket fans.

Oh Adelaide, thank you for presenting India's best batsman of the modern era (2011 ton) and thank you for bringing about a career-defining knock from the same Virat King Kohli as a captain in 2014!

India will bank on Virat Kohli to deliver successful performances for the next 7-8 years

Happy Birthday Virat Kohli, The Diamond Of Indian Cricket:

It has been a fantastic journey of a young kid who dreamt of representing India to a captain who is branded as one of the most aggressive to have ever played the game!

At 30, he holds many of the batting records and is on his way to breaking many of those that are still away from him, and he is doing that in some style!

You ask him to get to the fastest Hundred by an Indian in ODIs, he does it with insane ease and that too, when he chases, an art that he has mastered over the years!

He already has 38 ODI tons to his name and the way he is going, he might well be the first man on the planet to reach 60 hundreds in coloured clothing!

He loves chasing, scores runs for fun, hundreds are his breakfast, scores fifties in T20Is (18 already) when he sleeps, breaks records like breaking a window with a stone, maintains his average across all formats just like maintaining a car, produces a boundary galore just like producing a film, wins matches for India like winning awards, and has transformed into a Diamond of Indian Cricket.

Every Indian fan would be looking forward to Virat scaling new heights, as a batsman, as a captain and as a chase master. The King keeps marching forward with a diamond crown, way ahead of his contemporaries, and conquering different territories all around the globe.