India’s 5 Most Memorable ODI Wins Under Virat Kohli

An era of Indian cricket under Virat Kohli has come to an end as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named flamboyant batter Rohit Sharma as the new ODI skipper. The decision came a month after Rohit replaced Kohli as T20I captain following the latter’s resignation from the post after the 2021 T20 World Cup. Kohli will no longer be seen leading India in limited overs but as an ODI skipper, some of his numbers are exceptional. Here is a look at India’s five most memorable wins in ODIs under Kohli.

1. England vs India- 1st ODI 2017

This was Kohli’s first match as full-time ODI skipper following MS Dhoni’s announcement of resignation from captaincy six months ahead of the Champions Trophy.

India were struggling with their middle-order combination and in the first ODI of the three-match series against England, the home side was given the target of 351 runs to chase. India were reduced to 63/4 and then a 200-run partnership between skipper Virat Kohli (122) and Kedar Jhadav (120) and a quickfire knock of 40 runs from all-rounder Hardik Pandya guided the home team to victory with three wickets to spare.

This was Kohli’s first win as full-time ODI captain.

2. England vs India- 2nd ODI 2017

After winning the first ODI of the series, the Indian team was high on confidence but was reduced to 25/3 in the fifth over of the second match of the series while batting first. After this, Yuvraj Singh, who was making his comeback to the side, stitched a 256-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Dhoni that guided India to 382 runs in 50 overs. Both Yuvraj and Dhoni scored centuries. This was also Yuvraj’s maiden 150 score in ODI cricket while Dhoni’s century was his first since 2013.

Chasing the target, England batted well but failed to reach the finishing line. India won the game by 15 runs but England scored 366 runs in their chase.

3. India vs Pakistan- ICC World Cup 2019

There is no bigger clash for fans than an India-Pakistan game. The Virat Kohli-led Indian side was under high pressure ahead of the clash with the neighbouring side as it had lost the ICC Champions Trophy final to them two years ago in 2017. This was Kohli’s first game as India captain in the ICC World Cup against arch-rivals Pakistan.

Batting first, India put up 336 runs on the board, with Rohit scoring 140 runs and Kohli scoring 77. Later, Indian bowlers restricted Pakistan to 212/6 in 40 overs in a rain-affected game to register their seventh ODI World Cup win against Pakistan. India won the game by 89 runs (DLS method).

4. South Africa vs India- 5th ODI 2018

The Indian team was leading the six-match series 3-1 and registered a convincing win by 73 runs in the fifth ODI to clinch the series. Rohit scored 115 runs with the bat while Kuldeep Yadav was the star bowler for Team India with his four wickets.

India won the game and the series but this was team’s first-ever series win in any format on South African soil.

5. England vs India- 3rd ODI 2021

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This was the last time that India played an ODI match under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. The series was level at 1-1 and both the teams had played brilliantly in the first two games.

India scored 329 runs in the series decider and England came close but lost the game by just seven runs.