Virat Kohli's 5 most memorable performances in IPL 2016 that don't fade away

IPL 2016 will forever be known as the golden tournament for Virat Kohli. If it weren’t for an unfortunate duck against the Gujarat Lions, he might as well have finished it with over 1000 runs to his name.

However, destiny had something else in story, not only did Kohli miss out on the milestone, but also couldn’t grab the trophy that he coveted so much. Nonetheless, it doesn’t take away his achievement in the tournament as he decorated with four shining centuries.

He was rightly named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament apart from winning the Orange Cap. Let's take a look at 5 of his best performances that don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes:

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#5 Match 19: 100* vs Gujarat Lions

Before the tournament began, the only thing lacking in Kohli’s glorious career was the absence of a century in a Twenty 20 match - be it international or domestic.

However, in the 19th game of the IP 2016, history was made as the Indian Test captain reached his maiden 100.

As Chris Gayle took a parental leave to see his new-born daughter, Blush, Shane Watson came out to open with Virat Kohli. The absence of Gayle meant that he had to do the quick scoring—and he did just that. In just 68 balls, he scored his first ever T20 century.

The gamble of sending Watson to open flopped, but KL Rahul came at No. 4 to support Kohli and help RCB reach 180. Gujarat Lions managed to chase down the target with 6 wickets in hand in a memorable match that saw India's Test captain notch his first ever 100. Kohli would, however, be willing to trade his century for a win for his team.

#4 Match 48: 75* vs Kolkata Knight Riders

This was one of the classic examples of how to chase a game with perfection. Kolkata Knight Riders were put in to bat first at Kolkata and they scored an above par 183 runs in their allotted 20 overs. But, no target is enough against the likes of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

In the end, these 3 batsmen combined to chase down the total with the utmost ease.

All 3 of their star batsmen played well with Gayle's 49, AB's 59*, but it was the captain that stole the show with an unbeaten 75. In an exceptionally well-paced innings, he scored 75 runs from 51 balls to help chase down a tricky score before even reaching the last over.

#3 Match 44: 109 vs Gujarat Lions

If anyone wants to know a thing or two about accelerating an innings in the final overs, just watch the recorded version of this game. The first 50 scored by Virat Kohli came in 40 balls, the next came in just 15 deliveries!

As AB de Villiers was desecrating Gujarat’s bowling, Kohli stood there and just enjoyed the pure bliss of watching the South African clear the ground with his insane hitting. That was till he decided to take matters into his own hands.

The RCB captain took it upon himself to punish the Lions with an outstanding knock of 109 runs while facing only 55 balls in the process. A massive 8 sixes came off Kohli's willow while 5 fours helped AB take a well-deserved rest as the duo recorded the biggest partnership in IPL history – 229 runs.

#2 Match 50: 113 v Kings XI Punjab

One could almost say that this was a practical joke that he played on Kings XI Punjab. In a rain-afflicted game, the overs were shortened to 15 per innings to make up for the lost time. The surface was still a paradise for batsmen and a high-scoring was the prediction of the hour.

Despite just facing 15 overs, Royal Challengers Bangalore posted a mammoth 211 as Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli treated the crowd to a one of a lifetime innings.

Virat Kohli was going through a golden patch of form and started smacking the ball right from the word go. By the time he got out, 14 overs had been played and he scored 113 from the 50 balls that he faced.

#1 Match 35: 108* vs Rising Pune Supergiants

And this was, definitely, his best knock in the tournament—simply because of the beauty with which he conducted the chase and made sure that he stayed there till the end ensuring the job was done.

MS Dhoni’s men batted first and they did well to post a formidable 191 runs on board. With Adam Zampa coming on the back of a record-breaking spell, the Supergiants were favourites to seal the match.

However, when Virat Kohli is on fire, no-one can stop him and it happened exactly how it was supposed to. The game was over with 3 balls to spare as RCB won it by a margin of 7 wickets.

But the way Virat built his innings was a sight to behold. The RCB captain hammered his way to 108 runs off just 58 balls. He didn't take the opposition bowlers' reputation into consideration by giving a masterclass in chasing.