Tag: Virat Kohli

India star batter Virat Kohli recalled one of the most memorable knocks of his career when he singlehandedly took India to a sensational win against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup match last year. 

Speaking at a corporate event, Kohli was asked to explain his feelings during the blockbuster clash in Melbourne and he confessed that he was still in disbelief at what had truly unfolded that night.

“I still can’t make any sense of it. That’s a very honest admission. And a lot of people have tried to ask me what were you thinking, how did you plan and I have no answers. The fact of the matter is that I was so much under pressure that my mind had shut off completely by the 12th or 13th over.” he said.

The right-hander made an unbeaten 82 from 53 in the nerve-wracking game against arch-rivals which went down to the wires as India sealed a four-wicket win on the final ball in front of jam-packed MCG stadium.

Pakistan’s brilliant pace attack had kept India at bay at the start as they were reduced to 31 for 4 in 6.1 overs while chasing 160 before Kohli and Hardik Pandya gathered a match-winning 113-run stand.

Kohli struggled greatly early on, failing to find the gaps but as the game proceeded, he showcased his temperament and outstanding prowess to snatch the victory from Pakistan’s hands.

“At the 10th over mark, we were 31 for 4 and I had just ran Axar out. I was 12 off 25, or something. I remember in the break, Rahul bhai came to me and I don’t remember what he said. I swear and I even told him this as well. I told him, ‘I have no idea what you told me in that break because I was zoned out’,” he said.

“My mind was spinning so fast…I was like this is worse than it was before. I had spiralled down so far down that there is no comeback from here and that was my honest feeling at the halfway mark.

That is when my instinct took over. So when I stopped thinking and planning, whatever God-given talent I have that came to the surface and then I felt like something higher was guiding me.” he added.

“What happened that night, I can never explain it and it won’t happen ever again,” he concluded.

READ: Man City condemn attack on Liverpool team bus

DUBAI: Veteran India batter Virat Kohli made a big leap on the latest ICC Test batting rankings after his drought-ending hundred in the final Test against Australia. 

Kohli, who took more than three years to mark his 28th Test century, scored a superb 186 in the drawn final game of the Border-Gavaskar series.

His epic knock in Ahmedabad helped India triumph the series by 2-1 and win their fourth series in a row against Australia.

“Virat Kohli was the big mover on the Test batter charts following his drought-breaking century during the fourth Test of the series in Ahmedabad, with the former India skipper jumping seven places to 13th overall,” said International Cricket Council in a media release on Wednesday.

Besides Kohli, his teammate Ravichandran Ashwin also earned decisive points on the bowlers’ chart to become the solo No.1-ranked Test bowler.

The 36-year-old was named Player of the Series for his 25 wickets at an average of 17.28 and went ahead of England’s James Anderson, who jointly held the No.1 spot with the Indian spinner last week.

England veteran now holds second place on the Test bowlers rankings, 10 rating points behind Ashwins’ 869.

READ: PSL 8 Qualifier to go as scheduled, confirms PCB

AHMEDABAD: Virat Kohli hit his first Test century in more than three years with a towering 186 as India batted themselves out of danger of a series-levelling defeat to Australia in the fourth Test on Sunday.

The hosts finished their first innings on 571 to overhaul Australia’s 480 and get a first-innings lead of 91 on another run-filled day four at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

Kohli was the last man out after he fell to Todd Murphy in the final session of play as India lost their ninth wicket and Shreyas Iyer did not bat due to back pain.

Australia reached three for no loss at stumps with Travis Head getting the runs while alongside nightwatchman Matthew Kuhnemann.

The left-handed Kuhnemann made a surprise entry to the crease after opener Usman Khawaja, who hit 180 in Australia’s innings, did not come out to bat after getting hurt on the field.

Kohli ruled the day with his 28th Test ton after he got a single off spinner Nathan Lyon in the second session to bring the house down as fans went wild with celebration.

Kohli, who now has 75 international tons across three international formats, kissed his locket before looking up to the sky.

Resuming on 59 after reaching his first Test half-century on Saturday since January 2022, the landmark came after a patient innings of 241 balls.

Kohli then hit a flurry of fours after reaching his hundred and along with an attacking Axar Patel, who made 79, put on a marathon stand of 162 for the sixth wicket.

Khawaja attempted to catch an Axar six at the boundary but could not stay inside the rope, hurting his foot in the process and limping off the field.

Kohli got past 150 after tea and Axar raised his third half-century of the series to wear down the opposition bowlers on a pitch vastly different from the rank turners in the previous three matches.

Spinners Lyon and Murphy bowled 110.5 overs between to get three wickets each on another day of hard grind for the bowlers.

Axar went into fifth gear after his fifty as he slogged and smashed Kuhnemann for two sixes in an over before being bowled off an inside edge by Mitchell Starc.

Kohli lost his overnight partner Ravindra Jadeja for 28 in the morning session and Srikar Bharat fell in the afternoon after the wicketkeeper-batsman hit 44 in an 84-run partnership with the former captain.

Iyer didn’t come out to bat after he went for scans following complaints of lower back pain after the end of day three.

Opener Shubman Gill led India’s strong reply on Saturday with his 128 before he fell to Lyon, who returned with figures of 3-151 from 65 overs.

India need a win to clinch the series and be sure of a berth in the World Test Championship final in June.

READ: Bangladesh stun England to seal T20 series

KARACHI: Pakistan pacer Sohail Khan made a major assertion regarding his heated encounter with India’s star batter Virat Kohli during the 2015 ODI World Cup in Australia.

When arch-rivals Pakistan and India squared off against each other in the 2015 World Cup, Indian batters dominated Pakistan’s strong pace attack as they raised 300/7 at the back of Kohli’s magnificent 107.

Despite a struggling outing, Sohail was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan who bagged a five-wicket haul and leaked 55 runs in his 10-over spell. The right-arm pacer also dismissed centurion Kohli.

In the much-anticipated clash between two Asian giants, Sohail and Kohli got into a heated verbal exchange when the former came out to bat with Pakistan on the verge of defeat.

Sohail, during an interview with a prominent Youtuber’s podcast, reflected upon his heated exchange with Kohli and claimed that he schooled him for good.

“Virat Kohli came to me and told me I talk too much despite being a newcomer to the team. I told him ‘son, when you were playing for India U19, I was playing Test cricket for Pakistan’. I have been playing Tests for Pakistan since 2006, and then I got injured,” shared Sohail.

The right-arm pacer also claimed that then-Indian captain MS Dhoni also told Kohli to back off by terming Sohail an old bloke.

“That’s how I said it. Then if you see carefully, Misbah intervened and he got angry at me. He asked me to keep quiet. Then MS Dhoni also came and told Kohli to back off. He’s an old bloke, you don’t know him,” shared Sohail.

It is pertinent to mention that Sohail represented Pakistan in nine Tests, 13 ODIs and five T20Is. The right-arm pacer picked up 51 wickets over the course of his international career.

KARACHI: India’s star batter Virat Kohli and Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam become the first two players in men’s cricket history to feature in all three ICC Teams of The Year (Test, ODI and T20I). 

The incredible feat was first accomplished by India’s veteran Kohli on Monday after he was named in the ICC T20I Team of the Year for the first time.

The former Indian captain had already featured in ICC Test and ODI Teams of the Year numerous times.

Meanwhile, Babar, who had already featured in T20I and ODI Teams of the Year multiple times, joined Kohli on Tuesday after getting his name in the Test Team of the Year for the first time.

Notably, Babar was featured four times in the ICC ODI Team of the Year (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022) while once each in the T20I (2021) and Test Team of the Year (2022).

Kohli, on the other hand, has thrice featured in ICC Test Team of The Year (2017, 2018, 2019), six times in ODI Team of The Year (2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) and once in T20I Team (2022).

READ: Schutt, Perry sail Australia to convincing win against Pakistan in first T20I 

INDORE: India’s omission of star Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma from an upcoming Twenty20 series against New Zealand is only intended to give them a rest, coach Rahul Dravid said Monday.

The duo’s absence from two successive series had stoked rumours that Hardik Pandya would take over as regular T20 captain.

Pandya led the team to a 2-1 T20 series win over Sri Lanka earlier this month and has been named captain for the New Zealand matches, starting with Friday’s opener.

Speaking ahead of the final one-day international against New Zealand on Tuesday, Dravid said India would prioritise the 50-over format going into this year’s Cricket World Cup.

“There are certain priorities we need to give to certain white-ball tournaments,” said Dravid, whose team already have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODI series, told reporters in Indore.

India host Australia for four Tests starting February 9, followed by three ODI matches.

“So the priority after last year’s T20 World Cup has been these six games and Virat has played all these six games and he will get a bit of a break along with Rohit,” Dravid said, referring to the ODIs against Sri Lanka and New Zeland.

Dravid was pressed further on India’s plans for a split captaincy in different formats.

“That’s a question you need to ask the selectors but as of now, I don’t think so,” the 50-year-old said.

READ: Pakistan thump Ireland in ICC U19 Women’s T20 WC

KARACHI: Star Indian batter Virat Kohli has come out in support of football great Cristiano Ronaldo following his magnificent performance against Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in an exhibition match in Riyadh.

Ronaldo, who was fouled by PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas’s flailing fist, recovered soon and struck twice in a 4-5 exhibition defeat to the Qatar-owned side, his first appearance since moving to Saudi Arabia’s club Al-Nassr.

His twin strikes, however, went in vain as Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos and Hugo Ekitike all struck to seal the deal for PSG.

Notably, Ronaldo was under a lot of criticism following his controversial interview with a British TV channel which led to his former club Manchester United terminating his contract.

The Portuguese forward was then moved to Saudi Arabia’s club Al-Nassr after a whopping amount of more than 400 million dollars.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s brilliance in the Friendly inspired India’s star batter Kohli, who shared a picture of the footballer on his Instagram story.

“Still doing it at the highest level at 38. The football experts sitting and criticising him every week for attention are conveniently quiet now that he’s put in this kind of performance against one of the top clubs in the world. And he was apparently finished,” wrote Kohli as he shared Ronaldo’s picture holding the player of the match title.

READ: Medvedev latest to exit Australian Open but Swiatek charges on

DUBAI: Star batter and India’s former captain Virat Kohli has improved his rankings on the ICC ODI batter’s list after a phenomenal run in the recent series against Sri Lanka.  

Kohli smashed two centuries while gathering a staggering 283 runs from three innings during the series and climbed two spots to fourth overall with 750 points on the latest ODI batter’s rankings.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, however, retained his top spot with 887 rating points followed by second-placed Rassie van der Dussen (766) and third-placed Quinton de Kock (759).

With three ODI matches at home against New Zealand, starting today, Kohli has a golden chance to make further leaps on the list.

Meanwhile, other Indian players, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav were also rewarded for their performances against Sri Lanka.

“Gill hit a century and a fifty during the series and his 207 runs at an average of 69 helped the opener improve 10 spots to 26th overall on the rankings for ODI batters.” said ICC in a media release on Wednesday.

However, Siraj jumped a massive 15 spots to third, with a career-best rating of 685 points, on the latest ODI bowler rankings following his nine wickets in the series. Kuldeep, meanwhile, moved seven places to 21st on the list.

Mohammad Nawaz was the big mover for Pakistan, with the left-arm spinner improving 12 spots to 28th on the list for bowlers after collecting six wickets in the New Zealand ODIs.

READ: Australia’s dominant show crush Sri Lanka in U19 Women’s T20 WC

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 166 to help India beat Sri Lanka by 317 runs and record the highest-ever victory margin in a one-day international as they swept the series 3-0 on Sunday.

Kohli’s third century in his last four matches and a 116 by opener Shubman Gill powered India to 390-5 in Thiruvananthapuram.

Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj then returned impressive figures of 4-32 as India bowled out the tourists for 72 in 22 overs as India went past New Zealand’s 290-run thrashing of Ireland in 2008.

A 131-run second-wicket stand between Gill and Kohli stood out after India elected to bat first.

Gill put on 95 runs for the opening wicket with skipper Rohit Sharma, who made 42, to set the tone for the team’s batting domination.

Rohit missed out on a fifty after he fell to Chamika Karunaratne but Gill kept up the attack with Kohli and raised his second ODI hundred, celebrating it with a fist bump.

Gill smashed Jeffrey Vandersay for four fours in the over after the ton, but was soon bowled off a slower delivery from Kasun Rajitha.

“King Kohli” put on another century partnership with Shreyas Iyer, who hit 38, and went on to record the ton with his arms and bat raised to an applauding crowd.

The ball before Kohli got his hundred saw a nasty collision at the square-leg boundary between Vandersay and Ashen Bandara, with both fielders stretchered off.

Dunith Wellalage came in as a concussion substitute for Vandersay and batted for the tourists at number eight.

Kohli changed gears after his 46th ODI century — three behind Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record of 49 — as he smashed Karunaratne for two successive sixes.

Kohli, who surpassed Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene’s 12,650 ODI runs to enter the top five all-time run getters, reached his 150 in 106 balls and finished off with 13 fours and eight sixes.

Sri Lanka were never in the chase after Mohammed Siraj struck thrice in his first five overs including the wickets of Avishka Fernando, for one, and Kusal Mendis, bowled on four.

The tourists kept losing wickets to Siraj’s pace and swing and the quick also ran out Karunaratne with a direct throw that caught the batsman off guard and out of his crease at the striker’s end.

Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav picked two wickets each to flatten Sri Lanka’s batting with 28 overs to spare, with the tourists losing nine wickets and injured Bandara not batting.

READ: Fatima’s fifty gives Pakistan winning start in U19 Women’s T20 WC

GUWAHATI: India’s star batter Virat Kohli amassed his 45th ODI and 73rd international century to power his side to a dominating 67-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the three-match series here on Tuesday.

The right-handed batter survived two dropped catches on 52 and 81 before going on to hit a record-equalling ODI century and played a pivotal role in the team’s triumph.

Batting first after being invited by the Sri Lankan captain, the Indian batting line-up displayed a combined effort to post a massive 373/7 in their allotted 50 overs.

Skipper Rohit Sharma and his opening partner Shubman Gill laid a solid foundation as they put on a 143-run opening partnership with both scoring half-centuries.

Rohit, who missed India’s 2-1 T20I series triumph, scripted a strong start to the ODI series as he scored a quickfire 83 off just 67 deliveries with the help of nine boundaries and three sixes, while Gill fell after scoring a 60-ball 70.

Following the openers’ departure, Kohli Kohli stood firm and despite losing partners at the other end, carried on charging the Sri Lankan bowlers.

The right-handed batter top-scored for India with a record-setting 113 off a mere 87 deliveries that witnessed the ball crossing the fence 13 times including a maximum.

Besides the trio, wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul remained the notable run-getter with his vital 39-run knock and stitched a 90-run partnership with Kohli for the fourth wicket.

Kasun Rajitha made three scalps for Sri Lanka but leaked aplenty while Chamika Karunaratne, Dasun Shanaka and Dhananjaya de Silva struck out a batter apiece.

Set to chase a mammoth 378, Sri Lanka could manage to amass 306/8 despite a fighting century from their skipper Shanaka, who remained unbeaten on 108 off just 88 deliveries including 12 boundaries and three sixes.

The touring side had a dismal start to the run chase as they lost two quick wickets including Kusal Mendis bagging a golden duck.

Nissanka (23) made an effort to revive the pursuit with his valiant batting and a 72-run fourth-wicket partnership with Dhananjaya de Silva, who scored 47.

Sri Lanka slumped to 206-8 in the 38th over, but Shanaka kept the game alive with an unbroken 100-run stand with Rajitha; also bringing up his century in style with a four and a six on the last two deliveries.

Umran Malik led the bowling attack for India with 3/58, while Mohammed Siraj bagged two wickets.

READ: PCB to continue search for ‘right person’ as Arthur apologizes for full-time role