From the fightback at Adelaide to getting his first Test century: Virat Kohli’s best knocks against Australia

As the clock keeps on ticking by, we have two cricketing powerhouses all set to unload themselves upon each other on a bright Thursday morning at Nagpur as the latest edition of the Border Gavaskar Trophy kickstarts.

In the modern era of cricket, another rivalry that sets this feud between India and Australia apart is that of the Australian bowling mafia eyeing in the eyes of India’s inexorable run-machine Virat Kohli. A man in form, locked and loaded to deliver the payload against the visitors, Virat Kohli seemed to be in effusive flow in the snaps that were uploaded on his social media handles. This isn’t Kohli’s maiden rodeo against the Australians and when they come knocking on the doors, the former Indian captain will be raring to put his foot down on the pedal and fire on all cylinders.

Before the iconic battle begins, it won’t hurt for the Indian fans to take a stroll down the memory lane where Kohli has sprinkled his stardust, bossing the likes of a fearsome Mitchell Johnson to a roaring Mitchell Starc. Here is the list of three of Kohli’s best Test knocks against Australia.

1.    141 at Adelaide, 2014

This was captain Kohli at his finest as he showed a glimpse of the kind of cricket that India was about to play in the upcoming days. Almost written off as pushovers away from home, Kohli’s maiden assignment was to lead India against Australia in the latter’s backyard. After a topsy-turvy encounter, India was handed a target of 364 in the fourth innings and usually numbers like these make giants cower. The new Indian captain, however, was in no mood to bow down and led the charge all by himself, battling the rise of the Australian bowlers. Smashing 141, he brought India close to what seemed like history in Adelaide but once he fell, it was somewhat easy pickings for the Australians. Standing against the Dragon Slayer, Nathan Lyon who was spitting fire in the second innings, Kohli kept the wheels ticking for India. Eventually, what would have otherwise been a meek surrender, thanks to the Indian captain, they made the world stand up and take notice.

2.   123 at Perth, 2018

Virat Kohli shares a special bond with Australia and no matter the fortress, he has somehow managed to breach them all with an iron fist. It was 2018 when India travelled to the distant shores of Australia and King Kohli was once again at his majestic best despite the Indian battalion struggling to keep up pace. After a decent batting show from Australia, India had a false start with the top three falling for just 83 runs. Virat took up the mantle on his own shoulders and started fighting back in all his glory. He kept the Indian ship afloat in the waters of uncertainty. He took forth the Indian charge and helped India to pile up 283 out of which he scored 123 himself.

3.    116 at Adelaide, 2012

These were the early days of Virat Kohli and after somewhat of a mediocre series, there were some serious talks of him being dropped from the Indian side. However, Virat Kohli had other plans for himself and the nation. Even though the match didn’t really end in India’s favour, Virat Kohli gave out a glimpse of the decade of brilliance that was about to unfurl. Taking on a bowling line-up that comprised the likes of Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon, Kohli’s fluidity on the pitch was a treat for the eyes and those drives just started finding its stride that would later go onto stun the world.