He may have withstood a furious Mohammad Amir storm on Saturday but four years ago to the day, February 28, in Hobart, Virat Kohli played an innings that catapulted him into the elite ranks of India's greatest batsmen.
India had always struggled Down Under and, at the Commonwealth Bank Tri-series in 2012, it was no different. After some indifferent performances, they found themselves in a precarious position – having to comprehensively defeat Sri Lanka in their final league match to stay alive in the competition.
So when Sri Lanka ran up a massive 320/4 after batting first, the match seemed as good as over. To remain alive, India would have to chase down the target within 40 overs. It seemed a mountain too far.
Enter Kohli. After the openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar had got India off to a good start, Kohli took the reins and played one of his finest knocks, firmly erasing any doubts that existed over his greatness. Sri Lanka's bowlers were completely dismantled by Kohli's brilliance – he slammed the ball to all parts of the ground, with 16 blazing boundaries and two sixes.
The cornerstone of his knock was taking apart Sri Lanka's best bowler Lasith Malinga, who bled 96 runs off the 7.4 overs he bowled. A task that had looked Herculean was completed with stunning ease. India chased down 322 in just 36.4 overs. Kohli himself finished unbeaten on 133 off just 86 balls, a knock that remains unforgettable.
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