Virat Kohli Double Centuries

Virat Kohli's double century against West Indies turned him into a different batsman in international cricket. There is this special quality about champions, which separates them from mere mortals: the desire to push the envelope even higher in spite of basking in past or current laurels. Virat Kohli breached several records at the beginning of his international career. But, Virat Kohli's double-century column was empty until 2016.

So, when Virat Kohli was creaming high-quality hundreds in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and on home soil, the one thing that constantly bothered him is that he wasn't able to kick on and get daddy hundreds as elite batsmen do. However, the first Virat Kohli's double century came in the year 2016 against West Indies. Since then Virat Kohli has managed a total of seven double centuries playing for India.

Grinding out daddy hundreds not only requires immense skills, but it also requires peak fitness.

In 2012, Kohli embarked on a fitness spree, and the hard work soon began to bear fruit in due course. He scored his maiden 150- a majestic 169 (272) against Australia during the Boxing Day Test of 2014. This was, of course, after his twin hundreds- 115 & 141- at the Adelaide Oval a couple of weeks ago.

Virat finally breached the mark in July 2016 when he scored a pristine 200 (283) against the West Indies in Antigua to become the first Indian skipper to rack up a double ton outside Asia.

In the next 17 months, the Indian run-machine went on to add 5 more to his tally- against 4 different oppostions.

His 2nd double-ton came against New Zealand in Indore during the 2016/17 home season. The right-handed batsman racked up a chanceless 211 (366), and along with Ajinjkya Rahane (188), went on to add 365 runs for the 4th wicket.

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Just like the Antigua Test- which India won by an innings & 92 runs- the home side came out trumps in this one too- by 321 runs. The Indore knock also made Kohli the Indian captain with most double-hundreds.

If his knock in Indore was chanceless, what followed in Mumbai two months later, was a proper masterclass on a red-soil turner of the Wankhede Stadium against England.

Kohli accumulated 235 off 340 deliveries with the help of 25 fours and 1 six, and along with Jayant Yadav (104), set Indian on course to an improbable win as the hosts pumelled 631 in response to England's 400.

The rest was done by R Ashwin, who ran past England's batting line-up on the final day to seal a win by an innings & 36 runs.

Kohli signed off his bumper 2016-17 season with another double-century-4th-this time against Bangladesh (204) in Hyderabad in early 2017.

Later that year, the Indian skipper resumed his prolific daddy-hundred making spree against a helpless Sri Lankan on home soil to shatter multiple records.

Virat first scored a swashbuckling 213 (267) in the 2nd Test in Nagpur to set-up an innings win and then went one step ahead on his home ground in Delhi as he walloped the Lankans to the tune of a belligerent 287-ball 243 to break Brian Lara's record of most 200s scored as a Test captain.

This was Kohli's 6th 200+ score, and also his highest at the time. But, unlike the previous 5 occasions, India didn't end up winning the Test thanks to a solid rearguard action from the likes of Dhananjaya de Silva (119), Roshen Silva (74*) and Niroshan Dickwell (44*).

Two years later, Virat added another 200+ score to his tally as he once again strolled his way to a pristine 254* against South Africa in Pune. Kohli had a golden opportunity to smash his maiden triple-hundred, but he chose to put the teams' interest ahead of personal glory, and declared the innings. As it turned out, India went to win the Test by an innings & 137 runs.

List of Virat Kohli double-centuries in Tests

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