How has Virat Kohli performed throughout the years in significant ICC finals?: Australia and Team India will square off in the decisive World Test Championship (WTC) 2021–23 final. The eagerly anticipated game is set to begin today at the Kennington Oval in London.
The Surface is anticipated to be quite favorable for pace bowling, therefore Indian batsmen will have their work cut out for them. The Indian team would be counting on the more experienced players to step up and perform under pressure.
Virat Kohli, who enters the game off of a strong IPL 2023, will have a lot of responsibility. The batter for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) concluded the season as the fourth-highest run scorer with 639 runs scored at an average of 53.25.
Kohali’s expertise playing in high-stakes matches gives him a crucial asset for team India in the forthcoming match, despite his recent poor performance in away tests.
We look back at how Virat Kohli performed for India in all of his prior major ICC finals before the much-awaited WTC final.
1. Final of the ICC World Test Championship for 2019–21 in Southampton, New Zealand, 44 and 13
Virat Kohli scored 44 and 13 runs in the two innings against New Zealand in the final of the World Test Championship in 2021 at Southampton’s Rose Bowl.
No Indian batsman displayed leadership during the game because of the weather, which resulted in India losing by eight wickets and New Zealand winning the WTC for the first time.
A similar task awaits Kohli once more, who is anxious to assist India in claiming their first ICC trophy in ten long years.
2. Pakistan defeated in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final, 5 (9) in London
The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final was the only occasion Kohli may have failed in an ICC final when he was dismissed for a low single-digit total against Pakistan.
When Pakistan batted first, they put up 338/4, with Fakhar Zaman striking an incredible 114 off just 106 balls.
In response, India got off to a terrible start after losing Rohit Sharma in the first over. Mohammed Amir demonstrated his threat by destroying the Indian top order. Kohli, who had just scored five runs off of nine balls, was the victim of another valued wicket by him in his second over.
India ultimately lost the game by a massive 180-run margin. It is still the final ICC limited-overs match for India.
3. 77 (58) against Sri Lanka in the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup final in Dhaka
At the ICC T20 World Cup 2014 final in Dhaka, against Sri Lanka, Kohli unquestionably played his best innings in a significant final. The contemporary master scored 77 runs in the top match and was outstanding throughout the entire season.
Due to India’s inability to score more than 130 runs in the first innings, he was the only Indian player to participate in the finals.
With 2.1 overs remaining, Sri Lanka chased down the goal thanks to an unbeaten 52 by Kumar Sangakkara.
For his 319 runs (at an average of 106.33), Kohli was named the tournament’s Player of the Tournament as the Lankans won their first-ever T20 World Cup.
4. England defeated in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy final, 43 (34) at Birmingham
The last ICC competition Team India won was the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. In Birmingham’s championship game victory over England, Virat Kohli once again had a significant impact.
Kohli led his team in scoring with a 34-ball 43 after the 50-over match was reduced to 20 overs owing to rain. India was only able to reach 129/7 because of some excellent bowling from England, but Kohli’s effort ensured that India reached a decent score.
When they held England to just 124/8 in the second innings, India’s bowlers successfully defended the total. Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin each claimed two wickets.
5 ICC 2011 World Cup final vs Sri Lanka – 35 (49) in Mumbai
The Men in Blue won their first 50-over championship in 28 years in the game which means the most to all Indian cricket fans, the ICC 2011 World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka.
It’s interesting to note that it was Kohli’s first-ever final match for India in a major ICC competition. In 2011, he was only 22 years old and played a crucial role with the bat in the summit match.
After Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were dismissed, Virat Kohli came to bat and put together an important 83-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir.
Before Tillakaratne Dilshan’s spectacular catch off his own bowling ended Kohli’s innings, the Indian captain had scored 35 runs off 49 balls.
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