Right up to the Twenty20 World Cup final, there were question marks about whether India should persist with playing Virat Kohli. One of the greatest cricketers India has ever produced just wasn't scoring. He'd tallied 75 runs in seven games, including two ducks. India won every game but Kohli was reduced to a concerning afterthought, saved by the middle order and bowlers. The humbling scores followed a spectacular Indian Premier League for Kohli, who set or extended tournament records in scoring 741 runs at an average of nearly 62. Captain and fellow opener Rohit Sharma, despite their low-scoring partnerships at the World Cup, insisted throughout that he and Kohli were the first names on the team list. His faith was repaid in the final against South Africa on Saturday, when Kohli led India's batting with 76 from 59 balls in a competitive total of 176-7. The bowlers brilliantly defended the total to win a thriller by seven runs and make India a world champion for the first time in 13 years. “None of us doubted him,” Sharma said of Kohli. Virat Kohli latest victim of deepfake? “We know his quality. He has been at the top of his game for 15 years now. Big players will step up in big occasions and he played a crucial knock today. It was a team effort to get to that total but we knew we needed someone to bat time and he did that perfectly, using all his experience.” After being named man of the match, Kohli said it was his last T20 international. “One day you feel like you can't get a run, but one day things just click,” he said. “I am so proud to get the runs for the team on the day it mattered most. The occasion prompted that change for me, I felt like it was now or never. We have wanted to lift a trophy for a long time. The occasion made me put my head down, respect the situation and play the innings that the team needed from me.” Class prevails when it comes to Kohli. He's produced so often when it's mattered. In the 2014 final in Dhaka, he led all scorers with 77 off 58, though India lost to Sri Lanka. In the 2016 semifinal in Mumbai, he hit an unbeaten 89 off 47 in the loss to West Indies. Asia Cup: India overpower Afghanistan as Virat Kohli hits ton after 1,000 days He finished as the T20 captain at the 2021 World Cup, and hit 50 off 40 in the 2022 semifinal loss to England in Adelaide. After six T20 World Cups, he's the highest scorer in tournament history, just ahead of Sharma, but he's decided to finish his 14-year T20 career on a high than stay to the next World Cup in 2026 co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. He'd be 37 by then. “It is time for the new generation to come through for India,” Kohli said. "We have some amazing players coming through and they have to take this team forwards now. Virat Kohli steps down as India's Test skipper “I wasn't feeling myself before today. I wasn't confident. So I am very grateful and humble right now. It has been difficult, so there are a lot of emotions. It hasn't quite sunk in for me yet. It's an amazing day, I am so thankful.”

In a remarkable display of sustained disciplined bowling, Australia restricted India to 240 all-out in 50 overs in the final of the ICC World Cup 2023 on Sunday in Ahmedabad. India was asked to bat first after losing the toss - a huge call by Pat Cummins that defied conventional wisdom. World Cup 2023: Kohli Falls as Australia Take Control The hosts struggled to establish effective partnerships when they needed them most. Credit goes to the Australian pace attack, which denied the Indian batting line-up the chance to settle in. Virat Kohli and Lokesh Rahul both secured half-centuries, and the responsibility rested on them to carry India's hopes further. However, they couldn't defy the disciplined Australian attack. World Cup 2023 Final: India stumble, lose 3 wickets before reaching 100 Mitchell Starc led the charge, taking three wickets for 55 in 10 overs. He initiated the breakthrough by dismissing Shubman Gill. India lost three wickets before even reaching 100 runs. As on other occasions, Rohit Sharma had a promising and explosive start, but the Indian captain couldn't sustain his aggression. Shreyas Iyer, like Gill, failed to deliver on the biggest match of their lives. ICC World Cup 2023 Final: Australia ask India to bat first Josh Inglis, the Australian wicketkeeper, took five catches behind the wicket. For Australia, Starc claimed three wickets, while Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins took two wickets each. Prior to this match, Australia and India faced each other in another final of the ICC World Cup, which Australia won.

Virat Kohli scored his 45th ODI hundred on his return to the national team as India beat Sri Lanka by 67 runs in their series opener on Tuesday. Kohli, who missed India's 2-1 win in the T20 series against Sri Lanka, hit an 87-ball 113 to put India in control of the first one-day international after the hosts were asked to bat first at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. India reached a commanding 373-7 in its 50 overs with half-centuries from captain Rohit Sharma (83) and Shubman Gill (70). Sri Lanka was restricted to 306-8 in reply as skipper Dasun Shanaka’s 108 runs not out off 88 balls went in vain as India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The wisdom of Sri Lanka's decision to bowl first looked doubtful from the start as Sharma and Gill put on 143 runs off 118 balls for the first wicket. Returning from a finger injury, Sharma reached 50 off 41 balls. At the other end, Gill continued his good ODI run with 50 off 51 balls. Shanaka (1-22) got the breakthrough before Kohli arrived at the crease and batted almost to the end of the innings. It was Kohli’s ninth ODI hundred against Sri Lanka, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of eight centuries for India against the same opposition. Kohli is also now four short of Tendulkar’s all-time record of 49 ODI hundreds. Overall, it was Kohli’s 73rd international century. Read  more: India, Sri Lanka face off in a crucial encounter in Asia Cup 2022 “I was hitting the ball nicely. It was close to the template I play with," Kohli said. "I am in a comfortable career space now and playing for the right reasons.” Kohli scored 12 fours and a six as India crossed 200 in 27 overs. He brought up his 50 off 47 balls. India lost Shreyas Iyer (28) in the 30th over. Kohli then added 90 runs for the fourth wicket with Lokesh Rahul (39) to take India past the 300 mark. India added 79 runs in the final 10 overs. Sri Lanka faltered against disciplined fast bowling. Mohammed Siraj (2-30) struck early blows, removing Avishka Fernando (5) and Kusal Mendis (0). Umran Malik (3-57) dismissed Charith Asalanka (23) to reduce Sri Lanka to 64-3 in 14 overs. Pathum Nissanka helped to hold the innings together with 72 off 80 balls, including 11 fours. Sri Lanka was down to 206-8 but Shanaka was unperturbed in a run-a-ball half-century. Read more: IND vs SL 2022: India celebrate thumping victory, Virat’s 100th Test touches another milestone He hit 12 fours and three sixes to accelerate to a second ODI hundred. He added 100 runs off 73 balls for the unbroken ninth wicket with Kasun Rajitha only contributing 9 runs as the pair reduced the scale of defeat for Sri Lanka. The second ODI is on Thursday at Kolkata.

Taijul Islam was in fine form on day two of the Dhaka Test, claiming three wickets and putting India under pressure by making runs difficult to come by. India were at 19 for none at the end of day one. But they got off to a shaky start on day two in response to Bangladesh's first innings total of 227. At lunch of day two, India were batting at 83 for three, with Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant not out for 18 and 12, respectively. Read more: Siddons blames Bangladesh's batting collapse in Dhaka Test on mental lapses Indian captain Lokesh Rahul was the first batter to fall prey to Taijul. Although he tried to defend a delivery of the left-arm spinner, the ball hit his front pad first. Bangladesh appealed for an lbw, but the umpire was not convinced. However, the review revealed that the ball was indeed heading for the stumps and Rahul had no choice but to walk off the field. Shubman Gill became the next prey of Taijul. The ball hit his pad and the appeal for an lbw was convincing enough for the umpire to declare him out. India lost both openers with only 38 runs on the board. But the third wicket partnership between Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat was going well. However, their stand was cut short as Mominul Haque took a sharp catch at the short fine leg, allowing Taijul to claim his third wicket in the match, dismissing Pujara. Read more: Dhaka Test: Umesh, Ashwin run rampant, leave Bangladesh floundering Bangladesh opted to bat first in the Dhaka Test, with Mominul Haque contributing 84 runs to their 227/10. This was Mominul's first fifty after 12 innings. For India, Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin each bagged four wickets.

Shakib Al Hasan had an outstanding start to the first ODI against India, striking twice in his opening over. This proved to be extremely costly for India, as they lost their captain and star batter - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli - in a matter of three balls during the 11th over. Shakib surprised Rohit with a straight delivery that he had been expecting to spin - costing him his stumps for 27 off 31 balls. Moments later, Shakib had another triumph as Bangladesh's newly appointed ODI captain Liton Das leapt to his right and grasped an incredible catch at cover that the crowd of Mirpur would remember for years to come. Kohli was the unfortunate victim, dismissed by Shakib. Read more: Bangladesh opts for bowling in first ODI vs India Virat was clearly taken aback by Liton’s extraordinary fielding effort that departed him on 9 runs off 15 balls. Prior to Shakib Al Hasan's successful first over, Mehidy Hasan Miraz had already contributed to India's downfall by removing Shikhar Dhawan from the game - the first wicket to fall. Liton won the toss for Bangladesh and sent India to bat first in the first ODI match of BAN vs India Series 2022.  Read more: Bangladesh vs India Series 2022: Full Fixtures, Squads, H2H Records

Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 64 off 44 balls and propelled India to a massive total of 184 for six against Bangladesh in their fourth match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup on Wednesday in Adelaide.  Shoriful Islam, who was picked up in this match replacing Soumya Sarkar, conceded 57 runs and failed to bag any wickets. Hasan Mahmud, the other pacer, bagged three wickets but conceded more than 11 runs an over.  Read more: T20 World Cup: Rahul gains momentum before losing wicket to Shakib Bangladeshi bowlers were impressive in the powerplay when they conceded only 37 runs picking up one wicket. Hasan missed a dolly from Rohit Sharma at the boundary off the ball of Taskin Ahmed. But in the fourth over, Hasan removed Rohit for two as Yasir took a great catch.  Taskin was imperious from the first over. He bowled his overs early in the innings just conceding 15 runs. At one point, he seemed to be unplayable by the Indian batters. But he was unlucky and ended up wicketless.  Lokesh Rahul was on fire in the middle. He smashed 24 runs off the ninth over, bowled by Shoriful Islam, who came to the playing XI replacing Soumya Sarkar. The left-arm seamer conceded two sixes in that over with a no-ball and a wide. Rahul picked up his fifty off just 31 balls. Shakib conceded 10 runs off his first over but managed to scalp the dangerous wicket of Lokesh.  Virat Kohli played some glorious shots after coming to bat after the dismissal of Rohit. Kohli and Lokesh added 67 runs on the board of just 37 balls. But, Bangladesh somewhat managed to contain Kohli in the middle.  Read more: T20 World Cup: Bangladesh off to a good start vs India But in the 15th over, Kohli hit two fours off Mustafizur Rahman with an inside edge that went past the stumps. After the 15th over, India were at 130 for three with Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya batting for 40 and five respectively.  Hardik came to bat after Shakib bowled Suryakumar Yadav for 30 off 16 balls. The number-one T20 batsman was getting dangerous before Shakib trapped him.  In the last five overs, India added 54 runs with Kohli hitting a 37-ball fifty and ending up on 64 off 44 balls. Before Kohli reached his fifty, Hasan removed Hardik Pandya off the first ball of the 16th over.  With this unbeaten 64, Kohli passed the 200-run mark in this World Cup so far.  A dual effort from Shakib and Shoriful managed to send Dinesh Karthik back trapped in a run-out. He has a history to get dangerous in the death overs against Bangladesh.  Shakib bagged two wickets while Mustafizur Rahman conceded 31 runs but failed to get any wickets.  Before this match, Bangladesh faced India in 11 T20Is and won only one of those matches. 

India cricket star Virat Kohli says he is paranoid over his privacy after an “appalling” incident in which intruders allegedly filmed inside his hotel room during the Twenty20 World Cup. Kohli took to social media on Monday to denounce the video, in which a stranger walks through the room filming every step of the way. A second person was in the room when the video was shot, but no faces are shown in the footage. The video is labelled ’King Kohli’s Hotel Room,” and shows the star batsman’s neat and organized belongings. It remains unclear in which hotel room the video was taken, or how it came into Kohli’s possession. “I understand that fans get very happy and excited seeing their favorite players and get excited to meet them and I’ve always appreciated that,” Kohli wrote to his 221 million followers on Instagram. Read: Indian police probe rape threats to Virat Kohli's daughter “But this video here is appalling and it’s made me feel very paranoid about my privacy. If I cannot have privacy in my own hotel room, then where can I really expect any personal space at all?? “I’m NOT okay with this kind of fanaticism and absolute invasion of privacy. Please respect people’s privacy and not treat them as a commodity for entertainment.” Kohli played in India’s five-wicket loss to South Africa in Perth on Sunday night. The 33-year-old made only 12 runs and dropped an easy catch in the deep. India plays its next match at the T20 World Cup on Wednesday against Bangladesh in Adelaide.

Virat Kohli scored a second straight half-century at the T20 World Cup as India beat the Netherlands by 56 runs on Thursday. Kohli scored 62 not out off 44 balls to guide his team to 179-2 after India chose to bat first. Rohit Sharma scored 53 while Suryakumar Yadav hit 51 not out off 25 balls and shared an important partnership with Kohli which accelerated the innings. In reply, the Netherlands couldn’t last against a quality Indian attack and finished at 123-9. Earlier, Lokesh Rahul (9) fell cheaply for the second game running. Kohli and Sharma then put on 73 runs off 56 balls for the second wicket. Sharma hit four fours and three sixes, bringing up his half-century off 35 balls. He was caught in the 12th over. India was at 84-2 and still only scoring at seven per over. Kohli and Yadav then put on 95 runs off 48 balls. Yadav hit seven fours and a six, the latter bringing up his half-century off the last ball of the Indian innings. Kohli’s half-century had come off 37 balls, including three fours and two sixes. India’s final acceleration put the game beyond its opponents’ reach. Indian spinners strangled the Netherlands’ chase. Axar Patel recovered from a mauling against Pakistan and took 2-18 in four overs. It was in that game that Kohli scored a match-winning 82 not out off 53 balls. Ravichandran Ashwin had 2-21 against the Netherlands. He dismissed Colin Ackermann (17) and Tom Cooper (9) in the same over. Tim Pringle was the top Dutch scorer with 20 off 15 but the result was never in doubt against an impressive display by the Indian bowlers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had economical figures of 2-9 in three overs. Arshdeep Singh took 2-37 while Mohammed Shami finished with 1-27. India moved to the top of Group 2 with four points from consecutive wins over Pakistan and the Netherlands. South Africa is second after it beat Bangladesh by 104 runs in the first of three games on Thursday. Rilee Rossouw posted the first century of the tournament, plundering 109 from 56 deliveries. After brief concerns about rain, South Africa batted first and posted 205-5. Rossouw and Quinton de Kock put on 163 runs off 81 balls for the second wicket for the highest South African partnership ever at the tournament. De Kock scored 50 off 33 balls and was eventually out for 63 off 38 balls, including seven fours and three sixes. The Proteas then skittled Bangladesh for 101 with Anrich Nortje picking up four wickets. “Clinical in terms of performance,” South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said. “The batting lineup has shaped up quite nicely.” In the third Group 2 game of the day, Zimbabwe won the toss against Pakistan in Perth and opted to bat. Pakistan is in need of its first win after losing to India in a nerve-wracking contest at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Zimbabwe has one point after its first game against South Africa in Hobart was washed out.

India announced the squad for the Asia Cup 2022 starting on August 27 in the UAE. Pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the squad for a back injury, but Virat Kohli is set to return following his brief break from international cricket. Harshal Patel has a rib injury and was also ruled out of the continental Twenty20 tournament, which is set to start on August 27 in the United Arab Emirates. India will meet archrival Pakistan in Dubai on Aug. 28. The Board of Control for Cricket in India said in a statement that Bumrah and Patel were undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. The absence of strike paceman Bumrah is a big setback for India. Vice-captain K.L. Rahul will return to action for the first time since the Indian Premier League in May. Rahul, who underwent surgery for a hernia, had been scheduled to play against the West Indies this month but was ruled out of the series after testing positive for COVID-19. Read:Asia Cup 2022: Who are favourites to lift the trophy? Kohli was rested after India’s tour of England ended in mid-July and has played just in four T20s and scored 81 runs since the Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates last year. He also had below-par run in the IPL last season, making 341 runs at a strike rate of 116. India’s selectors dropped Ishan Kishan, Kuldeep Yadav and Sanju Samson, who were part of the series against the West Indies. Fast bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan along with leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi and prolific hitter Deepak Hooda were retained. India, Pakistan and a qualifier will contest Group A in the Asia Cup. Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are in Group B. UAE, Kuwait, Singapore and Hong Kong will compete in the qualifying tournament in Oman from Aug. 20, with the winner to join India and Pakistan in Group A. The first- and second-place teams from each group will qualify for a Super 4 series, which is a round-robin to determine the two teams to meet in the final on Sept. 11. Sri Lanka remains the official tournament host of the Asia Cup, despite the venue being shifted away from the island nation because of the economic crisis. India squad for Asia Cup 2022: Rohit Sharma (captain), K.L. Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan

The Indian team made Virat Kohli's 100th Test a memorable one by crushing Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs in the opening match of the ongoing bilateral series on Sunday, (March 6). The Sri Lankan team was unable to mount any resistance against the Indian team, and the match was lost in three days. Besides, former Indian skipper Kohli achieved a unique milestone in this match. Take a look at some of Virat Kohli's noteworthy Test records, as well as the first Test match report. India vs Sri Lanka 2022: First Test Match Report The Indian team was under pressure after losing the away Test series against South Africa in January. They needed to make a strong comeback in the series opener against Sri Lanka in order to maintain their position in the ICC Test Championship points standings. Thankfully, the Indian team replied brilliantly and did not allow their opponents a chance in the match. Rohit Sharma made his Test captaincy debut in this match. He began his career as a Test skipper with a resounding win. On the other side, Sri Lanka have plummeted to third place in the ICC World Test Championship Points table as a result of this disappointing loss. India’s First Innings India chose to bat first in Mohali and set up a massive 574/8d in their first innings. All-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja led the way for the hosts with an undefeated 175*-run knock. When Jadeja walked out to bat, India had amassed 228 runs for the loss of five wickets. The flamboyant Jadeja then put up three 100-run partnerships in the middle with Rishabh Pant (96), Ravi Ashwin (61), and Mohammad Sami, bringing the total close to 600. Suranga Lakmal, Vishwa Fernando, and Lasith Embuldeniya each took two wickets for Sri Lanka. Read Allan Donald: What Can Bangladesh Cricket Expect From Their New Pace Bowling Coach? Sri Lanka’s First Innings Sri Lanka were only able to reach 174 in their first innings due to the pressure of India's first innings total. The Lankan team's lone combatant was Pathum Nissanka. He scored an unbeaten 61*. Ravindra Jadeja came out with a lot of energy with the ball after a good outing with the bat. He took five Lankan wickets in this innings. Sri Lanka’s Second Innings India were right to ask Sri Lanka to bat again. The Lankan side began their second innings with a 400-run deficit, and their performance was once again underwhelming. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 178 runs, allowing India to win by an innings and 222 runs. The visiting team's best scorer was wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella. He went on to make an undefeated 51*-run. Jadeja once again did the job for India with four wickets in this innings. Off-spinner, Ravi Ashwin also took four wickets. Ravindra Jadeja batted and bowled superbly in this match, earning him the player of the match award. Read: Virat Kohli steps down as India's Test skipper Virat’s 100th Test: The Indian Maestro’s Notable Records Virat Kohli made his 100th Test appearance in this match following his debut in the longer-version format against the West Indies in 2011. Virat has smashed countless records and established himself as one of the top players in the game's history during this period. He also became the sixth Indian batter to reach the 8,000-run mark in Test cricket. Kohli scored 45 runs in his 100th Test before succumbing to Embuldeniya. However, he did attain the 8K Test runs milestone when he scored 38. Virat also became the fifth-fastest to reach 8,000 Test runs among Indian players. India's top Test run-scorers  Player Innings Runs HS Ave 100s Sachin Tendulkar 329 15,921 248* 53.78 51 Rahul Dravid 284 13,265 270 52.63 36 Sunil Gavaskar 214 10,122 236* 51.12 34 VVS Laxman 225 8,781 281 45.97 17 Virender Sehwag 178 8,503 319 49.43 23 Virat Kohli 169 8,007 254* 50.35 27    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read: Virat Kohli returns to lead India in the series-deciding Test against South Africa Besides, Virat Kohli is India's most successful Test skipper. The Virat Kohli-led Indian Test side has won 40 of their 68 matches. Kohli has the second-most Test hundreds (20) as a captain, after only South Africa's Graeme Smith's 25. He is also only the second player in Test captaincy history to hit two hundred, following Greg Chappell. The coveted Indian batter stepped aside as Test captain last January, allowing him to focus only on his batting. Virat can shatter many more records in the future if he can find his own rhythm with the bat. Afterward Virat’s 100th Test was a memorable one for India, as they were merciless in their victory over Sri Lanka. India's dominant victory against Sri Lanka in the first Test demonstrates the team's current level of confidence. However, Virat Kohli's century drought has continued. He hasn't hit a century since November 2019. Virat will seek to score his 28th Test century when the two sides meet again on March 12 in Bengaluru for the second Test. on the other hand, the Sri Lankan team had a disappointing showing in the first match and would be hoping to improve in the second. Read BAN vs AFG Series 2022: Performance Analysis of Bangladesh Cricket Team