5 crucial losses that proved to be turning points in Virat Kohli’s career

#3 Adelaide Test vs Australia, 2014

His 141 did not go in vain as he had clearly shown where he was going to take Indian cricket

The fierce competitor that he is, always in the face of the opposition, Kohli relishes the battle against the Aussies, who themselves leave no stone unturned when it comes to playing with the mind of their counterparts on the field. In their 2014 tour Down Under, India were dealt a blow in the series opener as regular skipper Dhoni missed out due to an injury. What that meant was that the 26-year-old Virat Kohli became the 32nd man to lead India in Tests.

The charismatic right-hander does not shy away from a big occasion. In fact, he comes out even stronger when pushed against the wall. He surely loves winning. And this Test is where the world got the first glimpse of exactly that.

Batting first, the hosts had piled up a mammoth 517/7 on the back of centuries from Warner, Clarke and Smith. In reply, India did decently well with the bat by compiling 444. Vijay, Pujara and Rahane contributed with half-centuries and our man and captain-in-charge Kohli scored an eye-catching 115. Australia declared their second innings on 290/5, setting India a target of 364 runs to achieve victory and giving their bowlers one complete day to take ten wickets. The number that was most discussed overnight the fourth day was not 364 but 98 - the number of overs India needed to survive to save the Test.

But what happened on the fifth day, changed Indian cricket forever. This was not a defensive India. This was not a team looking to play for time or overs. It was not a group of men waiting for defeat. This was a bunch of youngsters looking to stamp their authority on world cricket. This was Virat Kohli’s India. And the only result he was playing for was an Indian win.

The Indians looked well on track to achieve a memorable win till the duo of Vijay and Virat was at the crease. The former got out for 99 which followed a collapse of the batting order, leading the latter to fight a lone battle from the other end. He though never looked out of sorts. He had envisioned victory and that was what he played for until the end. He fell short by 48 runs as the home team and captain Michael Clarke took a sigh of relief. But his 141 did not go in vain as he had clearly shown where he was going to take Indian cricket.

Dhoni came back to captain India for the next Two tests before announcing his retirement mid-series. India had a new captain and exciting times ahead as the new skipper infused a different character into the team. The attitude that he brought helped India reach the zenith and be a champion team within the next couple of years.