Virat Kohli is, arguably, the best batsmen of his era. The Delhi-lad has already broken and created countless records. He has thus garnered lots of comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar from the very beginning of his career. Kohli has shown a knack of hitting centuries consistently. However, not all of his centuries came in winning causes. There have been a few instances when Kohli scored a century in a losing cause.
107 vs England in 2011, Cardiff
Kohli was in the midst of a golden run after the 2011 World Cup triumph and hit a brilliant 107 from 102 balls. This was the very first time that his century went in vain as India lost against England the rain-affected match. Cook and Trott came together to hand India their third consecutive ODI defeat in the 5 match series.
123 vs New Zealand in 2014, Napier
New Zealand had put up 292 runs in the first innings in Napier. The total seemed an easy get for an Indian batting lineup bursting with potential. However, it was not to be as a middle-order collapse let down the solid efforts put in by Kohli, who scored 123 runs. He formed crucial partnerships with Dhawan and Dhoni, but India lost the match by 24 runs.
117 vs Australia in 2016, Melbourne
The 2016 series between India and Australia was a historic one for the Men in Blue, who put up a great showing Down Under. Virat Kohli, as usual, was exceptional, remaining the most discussed player throughout the series. While playing against the Kangaroos in Melbourne in 2016, Kohli powered his team to a fighting 295 courtesy of his 117 runs. However, poor bowling cost India as they lost the match with 6 balls to spare.
121 vs New Zealand in 2017, Mumbai
Batting first, Kohli scored 121 runs to lead the team to a fighting total of 280 runs. Victory seemed imminent for the Men in Blue as New Zealand had faltered to a measly 80-3. However a 200+ run stand between Tom Latham and Ross Taylor stole victory right out of India’s hands, and this became the first instance where India lost a match at home when Kohli had scored a century.
107 vs West Indies in 2018, Pune
West Indies had somehow put up 283 runs on the scoreboard after the lower order exploits of Ashley Nurse. India were the clear favorites to win against the Caribbean side but suffered a shock defeat after a batting order collapse. Everyone except ‘King Kohli’ failed to score runs. Kohli hit a fighting 107, but it went in vain as India lost the match in a shocking turn of events.
