BGT: India had their doubts. Despite witnessing the juggernaut of Virat Kohli over a decade, the true Indian fans were worried about his form. After all, he managed just 488 runs at a mediocre average of 20.33 across 25 innings. And this is all formats we are talking about, so it includes the all-important 76-run knock at the 2024 T20 World Cup final.
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But as soon as the “King” entered Australia, something changed. The reception he received Down Under was something extraordinary. He was headlining all the newspapers, was the first name on every cricket exprets’ lips, and it would be fair to say that it was Kohli’s presence that, sort of, amplified the hype for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). Regardless, he was undone by the extra bounce in the first innings off Josh Hazlewood, who has joined his RCB franchise for IPL 2025. But something clicked in the second innings.
Yes, the Optus Stadium’s pitch might have played it’s part, but Kohli had to dig in. He wasn’t in the best of form, but the class never devoided him. He stuck in and marshalled India’s dominance on Australia, racking up his much-awaited 30th Test ton. The entire Australian crowd applauded.
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Virat Kohli & his love-affair with Adelaide Oval
Good news for Indian fans, as it has risen up a lion once again. And now he enters his favourite hunting ground—the Adelaide Oval. Yes, the Delhi-born lad has dominated everywhere he has played, but something is different at the Oval. It is the same venue where Kohli announced himself in Test cricket, hammering 116. It was the game where all Indian batters were silenced by a lethal Aussie bowling attack, but Kohli stood tall, forcing everyone to take notice of him.
Then in late 2014 and early 2015 came a streak of big scores. Australian bowling attacks, featuring the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, and Ryan Harris, were clueless against the ‘Showman’. 115, 141, 107, & 90* were his four consecutive scores. In total, Kohli has always dominated in Adelaide, scoring 957 runs at an insane average of 73.61, with 5 hundreds and four fifties (aross formats). In fact, this figure means that Kohli is the highest non-Australian run-getter at the Adelaide Oval.
Fun fact: Kohli (957) has scored more runs at the venue than Steve Smith (932), Greg Chappell (747), Shane Watson (729), and Adam Gilchrist (687). Mind you, all these batters have played way more innings in Adelaide than Kohli himself.
Virat Kohli’s record at Adelaide Oval before 2nd BGT Test
| Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 15 | 957 | 141 | 73.61 | 69.75 | 5 | 4 | 89 | 8 |
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