Kohli’s greatest chases: the innings that defined an era

Every great batter has a speciality. For Sachin Tendulkar it was longevity and technique; for MS Dhoni it was finishing. For Virat Kohli it is the run chase. More than half of his ODI centuries have come while India were batting second, and his average in successful chases is the highest of any batter with a significant number of innings.

Why does chasing suit him? Kohli has explained that he likes knowing exactly what is required. A target turns a match into a calculation: how many runs, how many balls, which bowlers are left. That clarity, combined with his fitness and running between the wickets, has produced some of the most memorable innings in modern cricket.

Here are some of the chases that define his career.

133* v Sri Lanka, Hobart, 2012

India needed to chase 321 in under 40 overs to keep alive their hopes in the Commonwealth Bank series. Kohli made an unbeaten 133 from 86 balls, taking apart Lasith Malinga in one over, and India got there in 36.4 overs. It was the innings that announced him as a match-winner rather than a promising young player.

183 v Pakistan, Mirpur, 2012

At the Asia Cup in Dhaka, Pakistan set 330. Kohli walked in early and made 183 from 148 balls, still his highest ODI score. India won with 13 balls to spare. Against India’s fiercest rival, under pressure, he showed that big chases did not frighten him.

115* v Australia, Jaipur, 2013

Chasing 360, India won with 39 balls left after Kohli reached a hundred in 52 balls, at the time the fastest by an Indian in ODIs. Together with Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan he showed that in the era of two new balls and fielding restrictions, no total was safe.

82* v Australia, Mohali, 2016 (T20 World Cup)

In a knock-out style match at the World T20, India needed 161. On a slow pitch Kohli made 82 not out from 51 balls, hitting the winning runs with a typically controlled finish. Many consider it his finest T20 international innings.

82* v Pakistan, Melbourne, 2022 (T20 World Cup)

Perhaps the most dramatic chase of all. India were 31 for 4 chasing 160 in front of more than 90,000 spectators at the MCG. Kohli built slowly, then hit Haris Rauf for two sixes in the 19th over, including a straight six off the back foot that has become one of the most replayed shots in cricket. India won off the last ball and Kohli finished 82 not out from 53 balls.

117 v New Zealand, Mumbai, 2023 (World Cup semi-final)

This came while batting first, but it belongs on the list because of its importance. In the World Cup semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium Kohli made 117 — his 50th ODI century, breaking Tendulkar’s record of 49 with Tendulkar watching from the stands.

What makes him different

Analysts point to a few habits:

• Running between the wickets. Kohli turns ones into twos better than almost anyone, so the required rate rarely gets out of control.
• Low-risk scoring. He scores mostly along the ground and saves big shots for when they are needed.
• Tempo control. He decides early which bowlers to target and leaves the rest to his partners.
• Fitness. The physical demands of a long chase do not tire him, which is why he so often finishes not out.

The legacy

Kohli’s chasing record changed how Indian teams approach one-day cricket. For years India preferred to bat first; under Kohli’s influence, chasing became a strength. As he prepares for the 2027 World Cup, opponents still know that if Kohli is at the crease, no target is quite safe.