CT IPL Flashback: When Virat Kohli slammed four centuries in a season

We saw Brendon McCullum score a hundred in the inaugural match of IPL, we felt it was extraordinary. Then we saw a few more batsmen scoring centuries, we felt only those players belonged to the T20 format. We then believed scoring a hundred in T20s was a remarkable achievement and stereotyped our brains in believing that if a player gets one in a season, he had a tremendous tournament.

But did we ever think a batsman could score 4 hundreds in a single season of IPL? Well if we didn’t, we surely didn’t know the powers of the batsman named Virat Kohli. The young and dynamic Indian did the improbable in the 2016 edition and smashed as many as 4 centuries. It was something that was totally unheard of and add to that was his tally of a staggering 973 runs in 16 matches at an average of 81.08 and a strike rate of 152.03.

Prior to 2016, Kohli had an image of being an outstanding ODI batsman who was cracking down milestones one after the other. He wasn’t as renowned in the shortest format of the game. But he wanted to be the best there too and he revealed later that he wanted to hit more sixes in T20s. He hit a total of 38 sixes in the whole season which was the most by any batsman. But that was not all, he also had 7 half-centuries to his name.

It was an absolute superhuman effort that made people fall for him even more. Let’s relive all his four magical centuries of 2016 once again.

#1) 100* vs Gujarat Lions in Rajkot

It was the 19th match of the season and the 5th for RCB. Kohli was in a terrific form already having scored 3 half-centuries in 4 previous innings but the 3-figure mark still had eluded him. He won the toss and elected to bat first and had a new opening partner in Shane Watson. But the move did not pay dividends as Watson was dismissed for just 6 runs. But Kohli was unflustered by that and found his touch from the outset.

He was batting in his usual class and grace and hit some stunning boundaries. There were more grounded strokes at the earlier stage and the innings was up and running. After a 51 run partnership, AB de Villiers went back to the pavilion. KL Rahul came in to join Kohli in the middle. The skipper focussed on building the innings and his strike rate was hovering around just above 100 when he brought up his fifty in the 14th over.

From there Rahul put his foot on the accelerator and did not allow the pressure to be built on the man at the other end. Kohli reached 75 at the end of 18 overs and was still a fair distance apart from the hundred. He collected 10 runs from the penultimate over and came even closer. Last over was to be bowled by the death over specialist Dwayne Bravo and wasn’t going to be easy for him.

He took a single off the first ball and got the strike back on the third ball. He missed the third one and was left with 14 runs to get with 3 deliveries in hand. The next one went for a six followed by a boundary. Four required off the last ball and a sliced shot over backward point gave him his first ever ton in T20s off 63 balls with 11 fours and a six. His arms were raised in the air and the teammates applauded the masterclass.

RCB ended with 180/2 but unfortunately lost the game by 6 wickets as GL chased down the target with 3 balls to spare.

#2 108* vs Rising Pune Supergiants in Bangalore

Next, it was the 35th match of the season where the visiting team was invited to bat first after Kohli won the toss. They got to a massive total of 191/6 at the end of 20 over courtesy half-centuries from Ajinkya Rahane and Saurabh Tiwary. As always, the Chinnaswamy produced a run-feast.

Kohli walked in to open alongside Rahul and the duo began cautiously as they managed 10 runs from the first 3 overs. But just then, they began to up the ante and this time, Kohli made a conscious effort of clearing the ropes. He became the aggressor and Rahul obliged and played second fiddle to his captain. He brought up his fifty off 31 balls in the 11th over.

The chase looked well under control but Rahul departed after adding 94 runs for the first wicket. AB didn’t last long and went back in the same over. Still, 95 runs were needed in 8 overs and the bowling side pulled things back a little. But Watson batting at number 4 brought the momentum back in RCB’s favor when he hit Thisara Perera for five fours in the 14th over followed by a couple of sixes in the next one.

His innings of 36 off 13 balls ended in the 16th over but gave the much-needed substance to the run chase. Kohli was batting on 70 off 47 balls as the equation read 40 from 18 balls. He then took it upon himself and smashed Adam Zampa for 2 sixes and a four in the 18th. RP Singh wasn’t shown any mercy either as he was hit for two consecutive sixes in the 19th as the second six gave Kohli his second hundred of the season off 56 balls.

Needing 4 from the last over and consequently 1 from 3 balls, he hit a boundary to square leg to seal the victory by 7 wickets. He finished unbeaten at 108 off 58 balls with 8 fours and 7 sixes.

#3 109 vs Gujarat Lions in Bangalore

In the 44th match of the league, the visitors asked the home side to have a bat first. The decision seemed like a good one when they leaked only 10 runs from the first 3 overs. To make it even more fruitful, Dhawal Kulkarni bowled Chris Gayle in the fourth over to leave them reeling at 19/1. But the joy for them didn’t last long as AB de Villiers who walked in at number 3 to join Kohli, started taking a toll on the bowling.

They reached 42/1 at the end of the powerplay but the proceedings slowed down a bit for a while. At 81/1 after 11 overs, a platform was set for a big score and both the batsmen had their eyes in. It was the time when AB went hammer and tonks and slammed boundaries after boundaries. He reached his hundred off 43 balls in the 16th over soon after Kohli had got to his fifty off 39 balls.

At the end of 17 overs, they motored along to 173/1 and Kohli was batting on 52. No one would have given him a chance to reach his hundred but yet again he did the impossible. He slept the poor Shivil Kaushik for four sixes and a four in the 19th over to reach 95 with one over to go.

The third ball of the last over, Praveen Kumar was hit over his head as Kohli notched up his third ton off 53 balls and became the first player to score three hundreds in a season. He was later dismissed in the over for 109 off 55 balls with 5 fours and 8 sixes. RCB scored a massive 248/3 which was the second highest score of the league ever and the partnership between Kohli and AB of 229 was the highest ever in T20s.

The score proved to be more than enough as GL bundled out for 104 handing RCB a huge win by 144 runs.

#4 113 vs Kings XI Punjab in Bangalore

The 50th match of the league arrived and it was curtailed to 15 overs a side due to rain. In the previous game, Kohli had sustained an injury to his left palm but still played the game with 7 stitches. KXIP won the toss and opted to bowl first considering the shortened match but it turned out to be a howler as Gayle and Kohli punished them big time.

Gayle who had a paltry tournament thus far finally came amongst the run and looked close to his usual best. He and Kohli took the score to 63 without loss after the powerplay. Both were matching each other shot for shot. The onslaught kept going and the score went past 100 in just the 9th over. Kohli had got to yet another half-century off 28 balls and Gayle too reached the landmark in the same over.

Kohli took KC Cariappa apart in the 10th over when 3 towering sixes were hit and the score was boosted to 129. In the next over, Gayle smashed 3 sixes to Axar Patel but lost his wicket in the pursuit of the fourth. He went back for 73 off 32 balls and was followed by de Villiers who failed to open his account. But the show was not over until Kohli was at the crease.

In the 14th over, when he hit Sandeep Sharma towards deep mid-wicket, he had his fourth hundred of the season. This time, rather than raising his hands, he pointed his finger towards his left hand that carried the stitches to signal the dug-out of his dedication to the game. When he was out in the 14th over, he went back to a standing ovation from the capacity crowd who appreciated his superb performance under immense pain and agony.

He scored 113 off just 50 balls that included 12 fours and 8 sixes. Before the tournament, he didn’t have a single T20 century and by the end, he had four. It was a remarkable effort that took his team to a humongous 211/3 after 15 overs. KXIP were never in the hunt with their chase as they lost by 82 runs by D/L method.