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Virat Kohli’s 25 Best Innings Across International Formats (RANKED): Mohali 2016, MCG 2022, Hobart 133*, Adelaide 141…Which One is Your Favorite?

Oct 27, 2022 | Article Index, India

Ranking Virat Kohli’s best innings is no easy task.

With 71 hundreds, 127 fifties, and countless other important knocks out of his 529 international innings, picking the Top 25 is a challenge. As Roman philosopher, Lucius Anneas Seneca is credited of saying,

“It is a rough road that leads to the height of greatness.”

– Lucius Anneas Seneca

Kohli’s consistency and the ability to rise to the top from the depth of hardship is what makes him truly great.

The winning moment at the MCG give cricket fans chills. Literal chills. This match reminded us of Virat Kohli’s eternal greatness. No man has been as dominating of a cricket player in all the three formats. Here is our Top 25 ranking of Virat Kohli’s best innings across T20I, ODI, and Test cricket.

Also Read: Virat Kohli Net Worth & Salary 2023, How Many Test Centuries has Virat Kohli Scored? (The Complete Guide) List of Virat Kohli’s 29 Test Centuries, How Many ODI Centuries has Virat Kohli Scored? (The Complete Guide) List of Virat Kohli’s 46 ODI Centuries, 5 Ways Captain Virat Kohli Transformed Indian Cricket

List of Virat Kohli’s Best Innings

All the scorecards and some video highlights are linked for your reference.

Embed from Getty Images

1. 82*(52) vs Pakistan, 2022 T20 World Cup

  • Format: T20I
  • Opposition: Pakistan
  • Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne, Australia

Context: Melbourne Cricket Ground. 90,000 crowd. T20 World Cup 2022. India 31-4. Pakistan pacers all over India. The ghost of 2021. The 71st hundred wait. Questions on his form. Mental health break. And then came that innings. Then came that shot—The Shot Heard Around the World. From 31-4 to needing 28 runs in 8 balls to winning the match on the last ball. The chase master is back. The King is back.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Pakistan vs India 16th Match, Group 2 2022/23 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

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2. 133*(86) vs Sri Lanka, 2012 CB Series

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Sri Lanka
  • Venue: Bellerive Oval, Hobart, Australia

Context: A love story begins in Australia. The coming of age for Virat Kohli. Needing to chase 320 in 40 overs, Kohli and co did it in 36.4 overs. Malinga’s figures of 7.4-0-96-1 says it all. The way Kohli handled the pressure, accelerated…this was only the signs to come for the record chaser he was about to become.

Video Highlights: Kohli Hobart Innings – YouTube

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Sri Lanka vs India 11th Match 2011/12 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

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3. 82*(53) vs Australia, 2016 T20 World Cup

  • Format: T20I
  • Opposition: Australia
  • Venue: Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh India

Context: Virat Kohli Mohali innings. India vs Australia 2016 knock-out match. What an innings under pressure. Must-win game. A virtual quarter final. Australia & James Faulkner run into Virat Kohli at his absolute peak. Steady innings to begin with but flourish at the right time. The running, six hitting, and MS Dhoni, this innings had everything.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Australia vs India 31st Match, Super 10 Group 2 2015/16 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

4. 141 (175) & 115 (184) vs Australia, 2013-14 Border-Gavaskar Trophy

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: Australia
  • Venue: Adelaide, Adelaide Oval, Austral

Context: A glimpse of Virat Kohli, the captain, before he was the official captain. India had never won a Test series in Australia and chasing 364 on Day 5 was unthinkable. Enter Kohli. Centuries in both innings. Aggressive approach. Got India so close, but he was caught on the boundary with sixty runs still to go. India continued their positive approach and collapsed agonizingly short.

Video Highlights: 2nd Innings, 1st Innings

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Australia vs India 1st Test 2014/15 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

5. 119 (181) & 96 (193) vs South Africa, India Tour of South Africa 2013-14

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: South Africa
  • Venue: New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa

Context: One of the great Test matches of the 2010s. Will always be remembered for the Faf-De Villiers partnership as South Africa almost chasing 438 before the draw was announced eight runs short. However, the game was nicely setup by the dominance of Kohli in both innings.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs South Africa 1st Test 2013/14 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

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6. 169 (272) vs Australia, 2013-14 Border Gavaskar Trophy

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: Australia
  • Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia

Context: This match will always be remembered for THAT partnership. Virat Kohli & Ajinkya Rahane smashing Mitchell Johnson’s bouncers. The transition from the Dravid-Tendulkar-Laxman era to the Kohli-Rahane era was complete.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Australia vs India 3rd Test 2014/15 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

7. 149 (225) vs England, 2018 Pataudi Trophy

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: England
  • Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham, England

Context: 134 runs in 10 innings. Six single digit scores. 2 ducks. And a Jimmy Anderson. Probably the lowest point in Kohli’s career, technically and mentally. To come back in the next tour, score 593 runs, dominate Anderson, and conquer his inner demons is a life lesson for us all. It all started with this 149 in tough conditions.

Video Highlights: Kohli 100 England 2018

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of England vs India 1st Test 2018 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

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8. 100*(52) vs Australia, 2013

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Australia
  • Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, India

Context: Some of the best shots you will ever see. Dancing down the wicket, straight over the bowlers’ head, numerous inside out shots. The series will be remembered for the emergence of Kohli-Rohit duo as the next stars of Indian cricket.

Video highlights: Virat Kohli 100* off 52 Balls | Ind vs Aus 2013

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Australia vs India 2nd ODI 2013/14 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

9. 49 (51) vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2016

  • Format: T20I
  • Opposition: Pakistan
  • Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh

Context: The scorecard doesn’t tell you what we all felt that day. Pakistan 83/10 and India won by 5 wickets. Easy, right? Wrong. Due to the comeback kid, Mohammad Amir. Rohit, Rahane were gone for ducks. Raina soon followed, India 8/3. Then came Kohli’s masterclass, one full of patience, perseverance, and maturity.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Pakistan vs India 4th Match 2015/16 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

10. 115*(66) vs Australia, 2013

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Australia
  • Venue: Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur, India

Context: One of the highest scoring ODI series in memory. Although he was already scoring loads of runs earlier in the series, this chase was the best of them all.

Video Highlights: Virat Kohli 115* of 66| India Vs Australia 2013

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Australia vs India 6th ODI 2013/14 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

11. 72*(44) vs South Africa, 2014 T20 World Cup Semi-Final

  • Format: T20I
  • Opposition: South Africa
  • Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh

Context: Before Melbourne, before Mohali, there was Mirpur. 72 off 44 balls. He himself said it was his ‘best T20 knock’ until that point.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of South Africa vs India 2nd Semi-Final 2013/14 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

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12. 153 (217) vs South Africa, India Tour of South Africa 2017-2018

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: South Africa
  • Venue: Supersport Park, Centurion, South Africa

Context: Under testing conditions and batting against the trio of Philander-Rabada-Morkel, Virat Kohli was excellent. Next highest score was just 46.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of South Africa vs India 2nd Test 2017/18 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

13.160* (159) vs South Africa, 2018

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: South Africa
  • Venue: Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa

Context: Kohli at his absolute peak.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs South Africa 3rd ODI 2017/18 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

14. 123 (257) vs Australia, Perth, Border Gavaskar Trophy 2018-19

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: Australia
  • Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth, Australia

Context: “Masterclass in mind and skill. One for the ages.” The commentator couldn’t have described it any better.

Video Highlights: Full highlights of Kohli’s Perth classic

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Australia vs India 2nd Test 2018/19 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

15. 183 (146) vs Pakistan, 2012

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Pakistan
  • Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh

Context: Smashed Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, and Shahid Afridi on his way to his top ODI knock.

Video Highlights: Kohli 183 vs Pakistan 2012

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Pakistan vs India 5th Match 2011/12 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

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16. 103 (197) & 97 (152), 2018 Pataudi Trophy

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: England
  • Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Context: Test matches mean a lot more when the team wins. Although India lost 4-1 in THAT Sam Curran series, Kohli’s 97 & 103 ensured at least one win in the series.

Video Highlights: 1st Innings, 2nd Innings

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs England 3rd Test 2018 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

17. 243 (287) & 50 (58) vs Sri Lanka, 2017

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: Sri Lanka
  • Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, India

Context: A marathon 7-and-a-half-hour knock followed by a fifty in the second innings.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs Sri Lanka 3rd Test 2017/18 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

18. 35 (49) vs Sri Lanka, 2011 World Cup Final

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Sri Lanka
  • Venue: Wankhede, Mumbai, India

Context: Among his plethora of centuries and fifties, this one is usually forgotten. After 31-2 with both Sehwag & Sachin back in the hut, Kohli & Gambhir’s steady 83-run partnership got India back in the game. Useful, impact knock.

Video Highlights: 2011 World Cup Final Highlights

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Sri Lanka vs India Final 2010/11 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

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19. 154* (134) vs New Zealand, 2016

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: New Zealand
  • Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, India

Context: Exhibition of the cover drive, pull shot, flick, and the straight drive.

Video Highlights: Virat Kohli 123 off 111 balls vs New Zealand 1st ODI Napier

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of New Zealand vs India 3rd ODI 2016/17 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

20. 89*(47) vs West Indies, 2016 T20 World Cup Semi-Final

  • Format: India
  • Opposition: West Indies
  • Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India

Context: Yet another one of Kohli’s ICC men T20 World Cup classic. After Rohit-Rahane 40s provided India a decent start, Kohli took the mantle to finish the innings off. From 50*(33) to 89*(47), but it was not meant to be.

Video Highlights: 2016 T20 WC Semi-Final Highlights

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs West Indies 2nd Semi-Final 2015/16 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

21. 211 (366) vs New Zealand, 2016

  • Format: Test
  • Opposition: New Zealand
  • Venue: Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, India

Context: A Top-25 Kohli series should probably include one of his seven double centuries. A marathon 365 (673) partnership between Rahane & Kohli. NZ were out of the game in the first innings.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs New Zealand 3rd Test 2016/17 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

22. 94* (50) vs West Indies, 2019

  • Format: T20I
  • Venue: Ranjiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad, India
  • Opposition: West Indies

Context: Kohli’s highest T20I score. India chases 209 in a T20 with 8 balls to spare. 6 sixes and 6 fours. Destructive.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of West Indies vs India 1st T20I 2019/20 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

23. 107 (126) vs Pakistan, 2015 ODI World Cup

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Pakistan
  • Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia

Context: A solid knock. India win against Pakistan via Kohil magic, a theme over the last decade. Better yet, India started the 2015 WC well and went onto play the semi-finals despite dismal preparations.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of India vs Pakistan 4th Match, Pool B 2014/15 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

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24. 122*(105) vs England, 2017

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: England
  • Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

Context: Known as the ‘Kedar Jadhav match’ who scored a 120 (76) from #6, Kohli held the innings together. From 53-4, a 200-run partnership followed between the two before Pandya finished it off.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of England vs India 1st ODI 2016/17 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

25. 123 (111) vs New Zealand, 2014

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: New Zealand
  • Venue: MacLean Park, Napier

Context: Not all matches have a positive ending. Although India lost, Kohli dragged India close. The next best score was 40, and India lost by 24 runs.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of New Zealand vs India 1st ODI 2013/14 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

26. 107 (114) vs Sri Lanka, 2009 (Bonus)

  • Format: ODI
  • Opposition: Sri Lanka
  • Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India

Context: Things have to begin somewhere, don’t they? Virat’s maiden ODI ton, including a 224-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir. Rescued India in chase of 316 after they were 23-2 after 3.4 overs. A glimpse of greatness for years ahead.

Scorecard: Full Scorecard of Sri Lanka vs India 4th ODI 2009/10 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com

Honorable Mentions – Virat Kohli’s Best Innings – Which Knock Missed Out?

  1. 129*(96) vs South Africa, Centurion, 2018 (ODI)
  2. 70*(29) vs West Indies, Mumbai, 2019 (T20I)
  3. 90*(55) vs Australia, Adelaide, 2016 (T20I)
  4. 116 (213) vs Australia, Adelaide, 2012 (Test) – 1st Test Hundred
  5. 123 (95) vs Australia, Ranchi, 2019 (ODI)
  6. 107 (119) vs West Indies, Pune, 2018 (ODI)
  7. 131 (96) vs Sri Lanka, Colombo, 2017 (ODI)
  8. 140 (107) vs West Indies, Guwahati, 2018 (ODI)
  9. 157*(129) vs West Indies, Vishakapatnam, 2018 (ODI)
  10. 114*(99) vs West Indies, Port of Spain, 2019 (ODI)s

Frequently Asked Questions – Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in Each Format

Other Virat Kohli Content

What is Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in T20I Cricket?

Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in T20I cricket are as follows: 82* (52) vs Pakistan (2022 T20 World Cup), 82*(53) vs Australia (2016 T20 World Cup), 72*(44) (2014 T20 Worl Cup Semi-Final, 89* (47) vs West Indies (2016 T20 World Cup Semi-Final), and 49 (51) vs Pakistan (2016 Asia Cup). Virat Kohli flexing his arm

What is Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in ODI Cricket?

Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in ODI cricket are as follows: 133*(86) vs Sri Lanka (2012), 100* (52) vs Australia (2013), 115*(66) vs Australia (2013), 160*(159) vs South Africa (2018), and 183*(146) vs Pakistan (2012).Photo of Virat Kohli celebrating his 133* vs Sri Lanka at Hobart

What is Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in Test Cricket?

Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in Test cricket are as follows: 141 vs Australia (2013), 119 vs South Africa (2013), 169 vs Australia (2013), 149 vs England (2018), and 153 vs South Africa (2018).Photo of Virat Kohli raising his bat to Test crowd in England after scoring 149.

Here is some of the other content on Virat Kohli:

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 10/27/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Nitesh Mathur

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