Looking at 2023, it’s clear Virat Kohli, one of Team India’s top batters, was at the top of his game. This year stands out as a shining moment in his career where he truly was at his best.
The road wasn’t always smooth for Virat Kohli. Rough patches hit him from 2020 to deep into 2022. But after taking some time off following India’s 2022 England tour, he came back stronger than ever. His phenomenal performance in the 2022 Asia Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup attest to this rebound.
The star batter persisted in 2023 in the same manner. One major factor in the year’s success was that ODI cricket was the main emphasis due to the World Cup. Nevertheless, he amassed runs in all three forms and intends to continue his winning ways through 2024.
In 26 international innings, Virat Kohli totaled 2,048 runs at an average of 66.06. In addition, he smashed other milestones, the most significant of which was being the first to achieve 50 ODI hundreds.
In light of this, let’s examine Virat Kohli’s 2023 from a statistical perspective.
1. Tests
In 2023, Kohli bagged his first hundred in a Test game after three years. He made it during the final Test against Australia, hosted in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. With a final score of 186 runs from 364 balls, he contributed to the draw, leading India to a 2-1 series win.
Virat Kohli also accomplished a notable hundred while touring Caribbean. The score was 121 runs from 206 balls. Then a run-out ended his play.
In 2023, Kohli made 671 runs in 12 Test innings. His average was 55.92, and his strike rate was 54.73.
At The Oval for the World Test Championship final against Australia, Kohli made 49 runs in the second innings. Sadly, India suffered a significant defeat.
During his last batting event, he got 76 runs off 82 balls. It happened at the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Centurion. India, unfortunately, lost in the innings.
2. ODIs
In 2023, most of Kohli’s runs hailed from the ODI format, inclusive of an exceptional ODI World Cup run. He conquered uncharted territories, being the first player crossing the 700-run barrier in a solo campaign. This propelled India’s strong form leading up to the final, only to face defeat against Australia.
He scored two hundreds in Team India’s rout of Sri Lanka in January to start the year. In the home bilateral series against Australia and New Zealand, he experienced a bit of a slump, but in the 2023 Asia Cup, he came storming back.
In the Super 4s stage, the right-handed player hit an unforgettable hundred, contributing to a decisive victory against Pakistan. His impressive performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup featured three hundreds. These were against Bangladesh, South Africa, and New Zealand. The match against New Zealand was a thrilling semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium. Kohli also hit six half-centuries during the tournament. One of these was in the final against Australia.
1377 ODI runs in 24 innings, at an average of 72.47 and a strike rate of 99.14, were his total at the conclusion of the year.
3. T20s
Virat Kohli didn’t step on the T20I field in 2023. His last game was the 2022 T20 World Cup’s semi-final against England at Adelaide Oval.
When we talk about the shortest format, Kohli found his rhythm only in the 2023 IPL. He showed great batting skills for RCB, but they ended up sixth on the points table. Missing out on the playoffs, it was a first since 2020.
In the whole season, Virat Kohli returned to lead the batting order for RCB. He started off with a strong 82, not out, against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the first IPL game at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in four years. His initial six games yielded four scores above fifty. The season wrapped up with him scoring back-to-back centuries against the teams SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Gujarat Titans (GT).
In total, Virat Kohli made 639 runs in 14 matches, an average of 53.25 and a strike rate of 139.82. His performances earned him the spot of fourth highest run scorer in the IPL 2023 season.
