Indian cricketer Virat Kohli is one of the greatest cricketers in history. In his long international career, which is hugely memorable for his unstoppable achievements, Kohli has played many memorable innings in crucial games.
Virat Kohli is also a special player when India play any Final, especially in the ICC Finals. We have experienced many inspiring batting performances from Kohli in the Finals of the ICC tournaments.
Here, we are going through Virat Kohli’s batting performances in the Final of the ICC tournaments.
35 vs Sri Lanka in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Final
It is a great example of “the scoreboard doesn’t tell the full story.” Although it seemed an unimpressive score in the ODI format, especially from the top and top-middle-order batters, only the Indian cricket fans, who experienced the Final, can tell the true story of this innings. Young Virat Kohli came to bat at no.4 when India were struggling at 31/2 in the chase of 275 runs against Sri Lanka in the Final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in Mumbai as the openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were dismissed. Gautam Gambhir and Kohli had a crucial 83-run partnership for the third wicket, which helped to stabilize the innings and played an important role in India’s successful chase. Kohli scored 35 off 49 balls before the bowler Tillakaratne Dilshan took a blinder on the return catch to dismiss the youngster. While Gambhir scored 97, the Player of the Match skipper MS Dhoni remained not out by 91 runs, and India won by six wickets to win their second ICC Cricket World Cup title.
43 vs England in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Final
The ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Final was between the hosts England and India, which was hosted by Birmingham. It was a rain-shortened ODI match as both teams had to play 20 overs in each innings. After England sent India to bat first, Kohli joined leading run-scorer Shikhar Dhawan after another in-form opener Rohit Sharma was dismissed early. Dhawan and Kohli had a 31-run partnership before Dhawan was out for 31 runs. While the next batters were struggling to reach the double-digit scores, Kohli was the reason for India’s moving scoreboard. Kohli had a 47-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja for the sixth wicket, and the right-handed batter was only dismissed in the 19th over after scoring 43 off 34 balls with four fours and one six. Jadeja also added a valuable 33 not out, and India scored 129/7 in 20 overs. Kohli was the highest scorer in that complete match, as India won by five runs to lift that trophy.
77 vs Sri Lanka in the ICC World T20 2016 Final
Mirpur hosted the ICC World T20 2016 Final between India and Sri Lanka. After Sri Lanka chose to field first, opener Ajinkya Rahane (3) was dismissed in the second over, which was the reason for Virat Kohli’s early joining the crease. Opener Rohit Sharma and Kohli had a 60-run partnership for the second wicket, and after Rohit’s dismissal, only Kohli had the strong answers against the well-disciplined Lankan bowlers. Kohli completed his half-century in 43 balls and scored a valuable 77 off 58 balls with five fours and four sixes. However, India only managed to score 130/4 in 20 overs, and Sri Lanka chased down the target in 17.5 overs after losing four wickets. Kohli, who was the highest scorer in that complete Final, won the Player of the Tournament award for finishing as the leading run-scorer.
5 vs Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Final
It was another ICC Champions Trophy Final where the defending champions India faced Pakistan in the 2017 edition at The Oval. After the Indian captain Virat Kohli chose to field first, Pakistan scored 338/4 in 50 overs. In reply, after the opener Rohit Sharma was out for a duck on the third ball of the innings, skipper Virat Kohli came to bat, and the right-handed batter only managed to score five runs before Mohammad Amir dismissed him in the third over. Kohli-led India finished as the runners-up after losing the Final by 180 runs.
44 and 13 vs New Zealand in the 2019-2021 ICC World Test Championship Final
It was the Final of the first edition of the ICC World Test Championship (2019-2021), where India faced New Zealand at Southampton. After New Zealand chose to field first, India scored 217 all out, where the skipper Kohli scored the second highest score for his team, 44 off 132 balls with only one four. After New Zealand were all out for 249 runs, India only managed to score 170 runs in their second innings, where the captain Kohli scored only 13 runs off 29 balls. New Zealand had only a 139-run target in the fourth innings, and the Blackcaps reached the target after losing only two wickets.
14 and 49 vs Australia in the 2021-2023 ICC World Test Championship Final
This time the Rohit Sharma-led team India faced Australia in the Final of the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship (2021-2023). The Oval hosted that Final, where India chose to field first. With the help of Steven Smith (121) and Travis Head’s (163) centuries, Australia posted a strong first innings total of 469 runs. In reply, India were all out for 296 runs, where Virat Kohli scored only 14 runs as the top four Indian batters failed to cross the 15-run mark. After Australia set a mammoth 444-run target for India in the fourth innings after scoring 270/8 declared in their second innings, India were all out for 234 runs, where Kohli was India’s leading run-scorer with 49 off 78 balls with seven fours. India lost that Final by 209 runs.
54 vs Australia in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Final
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 was one of India’s greatest chapters that ended shockingly with the only defeat, which happened against Australia in the Final. While the hosts India were outstanding in the entire competition, Virat Kohli was one of the key reasons, as the right-handed batter was in dream form. He even broke the legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s (673 runs) record of most runs in a single edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, and that too, before the Final match of the tournament. Ahmedabad hosted the Final, where Australia sent India to bat first. After the opener Shubman Gill (4) was dismissed cheaply, captain Rohit Sharma got solid support from the former skipper Virat Kohli. They had a 46-run partnership for the second wicket before Travis Head’s incredible catch ended Rohit’s firing 47 off 31 balls. While most of the other Indian batters struggled, Kohli maintained his superb form and added another half-century. Before Kohli chopped on Aussie skipper Pat Cummins’ delivery in the 29th over, which made the crowd silent, the right-handed batter scored 54 off 63 balls with four fours, which was the second highest score in the innings after KL Rahul’s 66 off 107 balls. India scored 240 all out, and Australia comfortably chased that target despite losing three wickets in the first seven overs. Travis Head (137) was the main hero for Australia’s successful chase, while Marnus Labuschagne (58*) provided the strong support from the other end, as Australia won by six wickets with 42 balls remaining.
76 vs South Africa in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024
It was the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Final between the inaugural edition (2007) champions India and the first-time finalists South Africa, and Bridgetown hosted that Final. Although the opener Virat Kohli wasn’t in good touch in the entire tournament, the experienced batter showed his high-standard skills when it mattered most. India were once struggling at 34/3, but Kohli was unshakable and guided the next batters to handle the situation well. The right-handed opening batter completed his half-century in 48 balls and scored 76 off 59 balls with six fours and two sixes. In the tougher batting conditions, Kohli produced a sensible innings before he lost his wicket in the 19th over. It wasn’t only the highest score in that Final but also the sixth highest score in any ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Final history. India scored 176/7, and the match experienced a thriller that India won by seven runs to lift the trophy for the second time. Kohli won the Player of the Match award in that Final, and he announced his T20I retirement in that presentation ceremony.
