Top 5 T20I Innings By Virat Kohli

image-lq3tejbvVirat Kohli's iconic six against Haris Rauf [Twitter]

With the number of cricketing legends in Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni and many others that India have produced over the years, Virat Kohli has been one of a kind, whether in terms of professionalism or the amount of energy he brings out on the ground, he has just been exceptional irrespective of the format.

The amount of energy that T20 cricket extracts from players is not everyone can manage for a long time but the man with number 18 on the back of his jersey has been doing it, and putting up shows consistently. In T20I cricket, Kohli has hammered down 4008 runs so far and stands tall in the list of players with the most runs in the shortest format.

The run-machine Kohli has played some memorable innings in his T20I career so far. At OnceCricket we present you the top 5 T20I innings from Kohli's bat.

82* off 53 vs Pakistan (T20 World Cup 2022)

image-lq3snid1Virat Kohli vs Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022 [Twitter]

This 82-run knock from Kohli's bat will undoubtedly be one of the greatest T20I knocks ever played in the history of cricket, considering the magnitude of the game and the situation the Indian team were in. It was India's first game of the T20 World Cup 2022 and they were asked to chase down a total of 160, which is not considered so high these days. 

Virat Kohli had to walk early in the middle as India lost KL Rahul inside the first two overs. At the end of 6.1 overs, India were 31/4 with Rahul, Rohit, Surya and Axar already in the dugout. Virat stitched a partnership with Hardik Pandya of 113 runs and took the game deep.

 At the end of the 18th over, India had to chase 31 in the last two overs. Haris Rauf, who was delivering bolts, came to the attack and on the fourth ball Kohli played one of the greatest shots in the history of cricket, smashing a straight six from the back foot and hammering another six on the last ball as well, taking India home.


82* off 51 vs Australia (T20 World Cup 2016)

image-lq3spcxwVirat Kohli against Australia in the T20 World Cup 2016 [Twitter]

When it comes to the year 2016, only one name comes in the mind of cricket fans and that name is Virat Kohli. The year 2016 was the year when Virat Kohli was in his prime form, from scoring 973 runs in a single IPL season to taking India to the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2016.

The Indian team were facing Australia in a must-win clash and were asked to chase down 161. India lost four wickets for 94 runs at the end of the 14th over and needed to shift gears in order to chase 67 in the next six overs. Virat Kohli went on to smash 82 runs off just 51 deliveries and finished off the game with five deliveries remaining. 


74* off 42 vs South Africa (T20 World Cup 2014)

image-lq3ssvh7Virat Kohli against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2014 [Twitter]

Virat Kohli was the leading run-scorer of the T20 World Cup 2014 with 319 runs in the tournament. In the semifinals of the tournament, South Africa posted a total of 172 runs and the Proteas never lost prior to that day defending a total of anything above 170. 

But Virat Kohli was standing tall in the middle. Despite scoring just 17 off the first 16 deliveries, he changed gears alongside Suresh Raina and anchored India to not just win the game but helping them reach the final of the tournament by scoring 74 runs off just 42 deliveries in the big semifinal.


94* off 50 vs West Indies (2019 T20I Series)image-lq3sq9q7

Virat Kohli against West Indies in 2019 [Twitter]

In the very first match of the T20I series against the Caribbeans, team India were asked to chase down a mammoth total of 208 runs. With Rohit Sharma back in the pavilion early, India were not in a good position to chase down a score like this. But KL Rahul and Virat Kohli stitched a partnership and got boundaries at regular intervals. 

This was the game when Virat Kohli did the notebook celebration to write off Kesrick Williams, who went for 60 runs in 3.4 overs. The right-hander went on to slam 94 runs off just 50 deliveries and helped India complete a record chase of 209 runs. 


70* off 29 vs West Indies (2019 T20I Series)

image-lq3sqwu4Virat Kohli against West Indies in 2019 [Twitter]

In the third game of the same series against West Indies, India posted a mammoth total of 240 runs with some lethal hitting from the top three batters including Virat Kohli. This was the fastest T20I innings from Virat as he played with a strike rate of 241, clobbering the Caribbean bowlers for boundaries. 

Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul gave a flyer of a start to India's innings and all Virat had to do was just continue the momentum, and that's what he did. He went on to smash 70 runs off just 29 deliveries, including three sixes and a boundary in the over of Kieron Pollard, where Kohli unleashed his inner beast.