Virat Kohli: Team India's 'Mr Dependable'

His success in chasing down difficult targets has led to former Cricketers calling him the 'greatest judge of a chase'

Virat Kohli first made headlines when way back in 2008, India won its second Under-19 Cricket World Cup under his leadership in Malaysia. Nobody could have imagined that this player would become the talk of the town with people comparing him to Sachin Tendulkar, often referred to as the God of Cricket. As time passed, Virat Kohli has become the go-to man for the Indian team, especially when it comes to tough run chases.

Cricket website, ESPNCricinfo had this to say of Kohli: "A typical modern-day cricketer, Kohli plays his game aggressively, bares his emotions loudly in public, yet retains the element of maturity that forms an integral part of every good and great player".

The sports website quoted former Indian skipper and legendary leg spinner Anil Kumble calling Kohli the best under-22 player in international cricket. Since, then Virat Kohli has come a long way and has become the mainstay of India's batting line-up. His ability to demolish difficult targets with consummate ease has earned him high praise with former England captain, Michael Vaughan calling him "the greatest judge of a chase" that he had seen.

Here, Business Standard takes a look at six innings (three ODIs and three T20s) that confirm Vaughan's assessment of Kohli's prowess in chasing totals.

1. Asia Cup 2012, Dhaka (India Vs Pakistan-183): Chasing a mammoth target of 330 to win by Pakistan in the Asia Cup, Team India lost their opener Gambhir off the second ball of the innings. Then, Kohli joined hands with Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma to repair the innings, as both of them scored crucial 52 and 68 respectively. But it was a Kohli show when he scored a tremendous 183 off a mere 148 balls with 22 fours and a six, leading India to a win by 6 wickets

2. Commonwealth Bank tri-series 2012, Hobart (India Vs Sri Lanka – 133*): The legend of Kohli - the chaser began with this knock against Sri Lanka at Hobart where Team India needed to chase down Lanka's total of 320/4 in less than 40 overs, with centuries from Dilshan and Sangakkara to qualify for the final. Team India started their chase well, with Sehwag and Tendulkar scoring at a superb rate. Gambhir came in at 1 down and scored a vital half-century as well, but the star of the show was Kohli. The 'Men in Blue' won the match by 7 wickets with 80 balls remaining.

3. India Vs Sri Lanka ODI series 2014, Ranchi (139*): In the fifth and final match of this bilateral series between two South Asian neighbours, where India had already won the series and was looking for a whitewash with 5-0. In this match, Kohli made a brilliant score of 139 in 126 balls with 12 fours and 3 six. The Lankans had made a competitive total of 286, with Angelo Mathews scoring 139 in a losing cause.

4. World T20 2016, Mohali (India Vs Australia - 82*): This match in Group 2 was a do-or-die affair for both teams as the winner would qualify for the semis. In this match, Australia made a fighting total of 160/6, with valuable contributions from Finch and Maxwell. But this match will be remembered for Kohli’s phenomenal knock of 82* in 51 balls with 9 fours and 2 sixes. Thanks to his magnificent knock, India beat Australia by 6 wickets.

5. World T20 2012, Colombo (India Vs Pakistan – 78*): The arch rivals were facing each other in this group match, with Pakistan scoring 128. In this keenly watched game, Kohli scored a good knock of 78* in 61 balls with eight fours and two sixes.

6. World T20 2014, Mirpur (India Vs South Africa – 72*):  It was the 2nd semi-final match of the tournament. The proteas had scored 172/4; a competitive total with valuable contributions from Du Plessis and Duminy. In this match, Kohli scored a brilliant 72 in 44 balls with five fours and two sixes, leading India to a 6 wicket win.

Intrestingly, he registered most of his major scores during run chases in the Indian sub-continent.