Vote for the best Kohli ODI hundred - Hobart 133* vs Ranchi 139*
A hurricane in Hobart is up against another chasing masterclass in Ranchi
ESPNcricinfo staff
16-Nov-2023
With Virat Kohli having become the first to score 50 ODI hundreds, we are asking you to pick his best century in the format. We had shortlisted eight outstanding Kohli hundreds, with two of them paired in each match-up till we have a winner. The innings with more votes in each match-up moves to the next round.
Voting for this match-up has ended. The 133* vs Sri Lanka in Hobart moves to the semi-final round.
On a long tour of Australia, Kohli was in combat mode. He had already flipped off the Sydney crowd, had verbal battles with Mitch Johnson and most of the Australia team, got his first Test hundred, in Adelaide, and celebrated it with some aggressive bat-waving and swearing. Now, in the tri-series, India were set an improbable task to keep their hopes of making the finals alive: they needed to chase 321 in 40 overs or under to get a bonus point.
Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag got India off to a quick start, and Kohli came in at 86 for 2. He stitched together a 115-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir and then cut loose. A hat-trick of boundaries off Nuwan Kulasekara came, followed by an angry thud over the covers off Thisara Perera. The final flourish was a 24-run over off Lasith Malinga. In all, he scored 44 runs off 15 deliveries from Malinga, consigning the best death bowler in the world to the poorest economy rate (minimum of five overs) in an ODI innings at that time. By the time the winning shot - an off drive for four - was hit, it was clear that this was a next-generational talent. And yes, India were home in 36.4 overs.
Kohli was standing in for MS Dhoni for this series, during which he moved down from No. 3 to No. 4 to shepherd an inexperienced middle order. In the final ODI in Ranchi, he put up a chasing masterclass. Kohli arrived at 14 for 2, and put together a century stand with Ambati Rayudu. A mix-up ended the partnership, but India looked in control with Kohli set. But then Ajantha Mendis caused panic in the chase, striking thrice as India slipped 215 for 4 to 231 for 7 in their chase of 287.
The equation became 54 to get off 36 balls, with three wickets in hand. There was no Dhoni to finish it off, but India had Kohli, and he got them home by trusting his instincts to take down Mendis. The next eight balls Kohli faced in the 46th and 49th overs bowled by Mendis read 1, 6, 4, 0, 1, 6, 1, 6, with the last six clinching the win with eight balls to spare. It completed a 5-0 series sweep for captain Kohli, whose unbeaten 139 trumped the 139* from Sri Lanka's captain Angelo Mathews.