Virat Kohli's 5 best innings in 2016

#4 154* vs New Zealand, Mohali

The most striking feature of Kohli’s batting in 2016 was his ability to switch formats without tinkering too much with his batting style. Since Kohli employs traditional cricketing strokes even in the shorter formats, he doesn’t require a massive upheaval when shifting from Tests to ODIs, as was evident when he played a masterful knock against the Kiwis in the ODI series, just after the Tests.

He got a reprieve early in his innings when Ross Taylor dropped a sitter in the slips, making it count big time. Dhoni promoted himself after Rohit Sharma’s departure, but took the backseat as Kohli was timing the ball sweetly, evident by one of his lofted flicked shots to the boundary to deep midwicket: Kohli himself was bemused by the purity of the shot.

He picked Tim Southee out like a spinner, consistently whipping him to the leg-side boundary off his pads. Dhoni departed when Kohli was nearing his 100. India still needed 73 in the last 10 overs, and a brittle middle order was what was left. He went past Kumar Sangakkara’s tally of career ODI hundreds, but knew that the job was only half done.Post his 100, he pierced the off side will multiple incisions, shoving Boult and Southee in his back pocket.

His knock was best described by the straight drive six off Trent Boult, one of the best pacers in the world. A cricket ball has rarely been hit more cleanly off the full face of the bat.