Virat Kohli walked into the Adelaide Test in December 2014 with plenty to prove. India had endured a difficult Test series in England earlier that year, while Kohli himself had struggled for runs. In Australia
he quickly looked like a different batter. With MS Dhoni ruled out because of injury, Kohli was handed the captaincy for the first Test of the 2014-15 series. What followed was one of the clearest early signs of the aggressive approach that would eventually define his Test leadership.
Australia batted first and posted 517, with David Warner making 145 and Michael Clarke scoring 128. India responded with 444, led by Kohli’s 115. It was his first Test century in Australia and gave India a chance to stay in the contest. They eventually declared at 290/5, leaving India 364 to win in the fourth innings. It was an enormous target, but Kohli did not approach the chase as if a draw was the only realistic option.
Virat Kohli takes the chase deep
India lost Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara early, leaving the score at 57/2. Kohli joined Murali Vijay, and the pair settled into a remarkable partnership. Vijay played the patient role while Kohli continued to attack whenever the opportunity appeared. The Australians struggled to break the partnership, and by the time the Chennai batter reached 99, India had moved deep into the chase.
Kohli reached his second century of the match first, becoming the first Indian No. 4 to score hundreds in both innings of a Test. He was also only the second player after Australia’s Greg Chappell to achieve the feat on his first Test as captain. Vijay was dismissed for 99, ending a 185-run partnership. The wicket triggered a collapse. Ajinkya Rahane went quickly, followed by Rohit Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha.
#OnThisDay, 2014, Adelaide
India lost 1st Test vs Aus by 48 runs after looking set to chase 360 through @imVkohli‘s 141
Kohli scored 💯 s in both inn., thereby rediscovering himself as a champion after a disastrous Eng tour
It was a roller coaster of a match What do you remember? pic.twitter.com/nNkb1sGqhv— North Stand Gang – Wankhede (@NorthStandGang) December 13, 2019
With India still within touching distance of the target, Nathan Lyon bowled a short delivery. Kohli went for the pull but did not get the elevation he wanted, and Mitchell Marsh took the catch. His knock of 141 came to an end and India soon collapsed from 242/5 to 315 all out, losing their last eight wickets for 73 runs. Australia won by 48 runs, with Lyon finishing with 12 wickets in the match.
The defeat mattered less to Kohli’s reputation than the manner of the chase. India had gone after 364 rather than simply trying to survive, and their stand-in captain had taken the game to the final stages. Kohli later described the Adelaide 141 as one of his most special Test innings, specifically because it came while chasing a target and because he never felt India should play for a draw.
