Virat Kohli is a superstar batter who has played many match-winning innings against Australia, the most successful team in ODI and T20 cricket. He has amazing records against them in all formats, especially in ICC events, where he averages above 80 in T20 World Cups and above 48 in 50-over World Cups.
However, Virat Kohli has only won one ICC title with India, the 2011 World Cup. He will be eager to change that in the current home World Cup. Let us look at his three best performances against Australia in ICC tournaments.
3. World Cup 2023
Virat Kohli showed his class against Australia in the 2023 World Cup opener in Chennai. He scored 85 off 116 balls to chase down a low target of 200 on a difficult pitch.
He came in after India lost three early wickets to the Aussie pacers. He stitched a match-winning stand of 165 with KL Rahul and took India to a six-wicket win. He is the best in the world in successful ODI run-chases, with an average of 88.98 and 22 hundreds.
He also joined the top 10 World Cup scorers list with 1,115 runs. He is likely to climb up to fourth place in this World Cup, with only 111 more runs needed.
2. World Cup 2019
Virat Kohli had a poor outing in the 2015 World Cup semi-final against Australia, scoring only one run. He redeemed himself in the 2019 World Cup, when he faced them again in the group stage.
As the captain, he chose to bat first on a good pitch. He came in after a solid start by the openers and played a brilliant innings of 82 off 77 balls. He hit four fours and two sixes and ran hard between the wickets. He helped India post a huge total of 352/5.
His knock was crucial in India’s 36-run victory over the defending champions. He was one of the top scorers of the tournament, with 443 runs in nine games and five fifties.
1. T20 World Cup 2016
Virat Kohli has played some of his best innings in T20Is, especially in World Cups. His best knock against Australia in ICC events was in the 2016 T20 World Cup, where he scored 82* off 51 balls to win a crucial game.
India needed 161 to qualify for the semi-final, but they lost three early wickets and were struggling at 49/3. Kohli kept his calm and played a masterful innings, hitting nine fours and two sixes. He smashed 19 runs off Faulkner and 16 runs off Coulter-Nile in the last two overs to seal the victory.
It was one of the most memorable match-winning knocks by Kohli, who took India to the semi-final against West Indies. He scored another 89* in that game, but India lost in the last over. He was the top scorer of the tournament, with an average of 136.50 and a strike rate of 146.77.
