Virat Kohli’s Top 5 Memorable Test Innings: A Legacy in Whites. The legacy of Virat Kohli in Test cricket is forged through statistics and a gritty will to win. As of 2025, Kohli, with more than 9,000 runs and 30 centuries in Test cricket, is considered among the modern best. Unlike many other batsmen, Kohli’s Test innings are never silently recorded on the scorecard. They have often been fierce counterattacks against pressure, conditions, or personal challenges. There are a few innings that greatly define his red-ball greatness:
Virat Kohli’s Top 5 Memorable Test Innings
1. 141 vs Australia, Adelaide, 2014
Situation: 4th Innings chase | Target: 364 | Kohli’s 1st Test as captain
After Kohli had made a century in the first innings, his 141 in the 4th innings underpinned a massive target that almost took India to a famous win. What makes this innings so famous is the fact that Kohli had the intention to dominate. He went on the offensive in an innings where everyone else would have looked to consolidate. Instead, India narrowly missed out on victory when Kohli scored twin centuries as stand-in captain, announcing a new beginning of Indian Test cricket.
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2. 149 vs England, Edgbaston, 2018
In conditions where the ball swung profusely, | First Test in the series
The knock of 149 on this tricky Edgbaston pitch was, therefore, a technical masterclass against Anderson and company, as well as psychological redemption. This innings silenced all doubters and was the platform for his incredible 2018 series in England.
3. 254 vs South Africa, Pune, 2019*
Context: Second Test of the home series | Captain’s innings
Kohli’s greatest score in a Test so far was an unbeaten double century that showcased a magnificent lesson in control and domination. The player exercised enough patience, along with time, to declare for 601/5. The innings were glittered with maturity, yet the entire innings earned itself the reputation of being the flair associated with Kohli on the conversion of hundreds into match-winning epics.
4. 123 vs Australia, Perth, 2018
Context: Bouncy and fast surface of Perth | India trailing in the match
Under the loss of this Test for India, Kohli’s century stood out as a rare jewel. Almost unplayable on what is one of the hardest surfaces of recent Test memory, cover drives, and discipline outside off – Kohli’s greatest display of batting against quality pace in testing conditions was reaffirmed during that innings.
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5. 186 vs Australia, Ahmedabad, 2023
Context: Border-Gavaskar Trophy | India needed a draw or a win to reach the WTC Final.
A long Test century drought was broken with this innings made it epochal and important at the same time. Coming after more than three years of not getting a tonne in Tests, that 186 was old-school yet new-age Virat Kohli.
