Virat Kohli retired from T20I cricket after India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, leaving behind a record that few batters in the format's history can match. Across 125 T20Is, he accumulated 4,188 runs at an average of 48.70 and a strike rate of 137.05, with 38 fifties and 1 century to his name.
Those numbers place Kohli among the all-time greats of the shortest format. He averages above 45 across Tests, ODIs and T20Is, showing his ability to excel across formats. Here is a look at the three highest
scores he produced in the format.
3. Kohli's 90* vs Australia, Adelaide, 2016
At the iconic Adelaide Oval in 2016, Kohli walked out and constructed one of his most controlled T20I innings against Australia. He remained unbeaten on 90 off 55 balls, striking 9 fours and 2 sixes through a range of classic cricketing shots, and guided India to 188/3 in their 20 overs. Australia, in reply, were dismissed for 151, handing India a 37-run victory in that first T20I of the series. This helped the Men in Blue start the series on a high.
2. Kohli's 94 vs West Indies, 2019
In a 2019 T20I against the West Indies, India were set a target of 208 runs. Kohli began cautiously, scoring 20 runs off his first 20 balls, before shifting gears dramatically. He finished on 94 off 50 balls, and during the course of that innings produced the now-famous "notebook celebration" after hitting Kesrick Williams all around the park. India successfully chased down the 208-run target, with Kohli's knock at the heart of the chase.
1. Kohli's 122* vs Afghanistan, Asia Cup 2022
Kohli's finest T20I innings came at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 8, 2022, during the Asia Cup. Opening the batting against Afghanistan, he reached his hundred off just 53 balls and went on to finish unbeaten on 122 off 61 balls, hitting 12 fours and 6 sixes at a strike rate of 200. The Men in Blue posted 212/2 in their 20 overs. The 122* remains Kohli's only T20I century and, at the time, surpassed Rohit Sharma's record for the highest individual score (118) by an Indian batter in the format.
