Virat Kohli once again showed why he remains one of India's best batters in ODI cricket. Chasing a daunting target of 388 against England in the third ODI at Lord's, the former India captain played a composed
innings of 74 runs and, alongside Rohit Sharma, kept India firmly in the hunt for a famous victory. While Rohit Sharma scored a century at the other end, Kohli focused on rotating the strike and punishing loose deliveries. The experienced duo added a crucial partnership that put England under pressure and briefly shifted the momentum towards India.
At one stage, India appeared to be in complete control of the chase before England fought back with a dramatic collapse in the middle order. Virat Kohli scored his first half century at Lords and the chase master scored 74 before getting dismissed. Even though India failed to chase down the target, Kohli's effort did not go unnoticed. Fans on social media platform X, praised his temperament and ability to deliver in pressure situations, with many calling it another reminder of why he is regarded as one of the greatest ODI batters of the modern era.
This 74 was Virat Kohli's highest score at Lords across formats. His previous best was 45 in a Test match and he went past that.
Virat Kohli and the love story of missing out ODI hundreds in England. 🥲 pic.twitter.com/qqlb2FahMI
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 19, 2026
74* vs AUS 135 vs SA 102 vs SA 65* vs SA 93 vs NZ 23 vs NZ 124 vs NZ 5 vs ENG 65 vs ENG 74 vs ENG VIRAT KOHLI IN LAST 10 ODI INNINGS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/pQ7ljysWsB
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 19, 2026
This hug between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after Rohit's hundred.🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/2HqYowm1ah
— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) July 19, 2026
Most Top Scores for India in ODI Chases this decade ◉ 15: Rohit Sharma (35 inns) ◎ 09: Shubman Gill (33 inns) ◎ 09: Virat Kohli (34 inns) ◎ 03: KL Rahul (30 inns) pic.twitter.com/n61h6EsU9U
— The Cricket Panda (@TheCricketPanda) July 19, 2026
- Fifty in 2nd ODI. - Fifty in 3rd ODI. THE KING AT LORD'S - The GOAT is doing the magic, Chase master is here. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/n0s8fmMLBC
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 19, 2026
Chase Master in the lord guy's 💥 pic.twitter.com/1AjUbuaAeA
— TheFinalOver (@ParthPrj2535) July 19, 2026
and 50 for the chase master 🔥 the RO-KO masterclass at Lords 🔥🐐 pic.twitter.com/DTNniwhmlF
— VGS1100 (@VgowthamS) July 19, 2026
Middle Order Faces Backlash Following India's Defeat at Lord's
Plenty of tweets described the greatness of Virat Kohli in chases and told that he deserved to finish on the winning side after helping build such a strong platform. Fans also highlighted the partnership between Rohit Sharma and Kohli, saying the experienced pair almost pulled off one of India's historic run chases at the Home of Cricket.
This middle order reminds me of India's 2019 World Cup middle order. pic.twitter.com/H8wL5kZhjj
— TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) July 19, 2026
Indian batting today Top 3: 289 (254) Middle order (4-7): 28 (26)
— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) July 19, 2026
There were also a section of fans who expressed disappointment that the middle order couldn't capitalize after the two senior batters had done most of the work. England won a high scoring thriller in the series decider and also clinched the series 2-1. This was the last ODI match for Virat Kohli in England and he played an excellent knock.
