Virat Kohli picks surprise innings against England as his greatest ODI knock

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Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli made a surprising pick for his favourite One-Day International knock, selecting a 43-run effort against England in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy final over multiple iconic centuries.

Celebrating his 38th birthday on Thursday after scoring 74 off 51 balls against New Zealand on Wednesday, Kohli took part in a head-to-head knock bracket video released by Star Sports.

Initially, Kohli selected his vital 35-run knock from the 2011 World Cup final, which steadied India’s chase of 275 alongside Gautam Gambhir after an early collapse to 31/2, over his celebrated 133 against Sri Lanka at Hobart in 2012 and his crucial 85 against Australia in the 2023 World Cup opener.

He kept choosing his 35 in the 2011 final over other masterclasses, including a 122 against England in 2017 while recovering from 63/4 during a 351-run chase, as well as his marathon 160 against South Africa at Cape Town in 2018, where he ran for 100 of his runs.

However, when pitted against his 43-run innings from the 2013 Champions Trophy final, Kohli picked the latter. Coming in at 66/5 in a rain-affected 20-over encounter, Kohli built a decisive 47-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja (33) to take India to a five-run victory.

He retained this 43-run knock over several landmark centuries, including his career-best 183 against Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup, his 138 against South Africa in Chennai in 2015, and his historic 107 against Pakistan in the 2015 World Cup.

Virat Kohli has etched his name in the cricket history books

Kohli stands as one of cricket’s most decorated players, possessing a 50-over World Cup, a T20 World Cup, two Champions Trophy titles, and two IPL trophies. As India’s most successful Test captain, he led the team to 40 victories in 68 matches, recording just 17 losses.

Across 123 Test matches, Kohli has scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties, making him India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in the format.

In ODIs, he ranks second all-time globally with 15,183 runs across 318 matches at an average of 58.84, featuring a record 55 centuries and 80 half-centuries. He also holds 4,188 T20I runs at an average of 48.69.

Overall, Kohli is international cricket’s second-highest run-scorer in history, boasting 28,601 runs in 566 matches at an average of 52.86, with 86 centuries and 149 fifties.

(With inputs from agencies)

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