Virat Kohli has arguably been India’s best batsmen of the modern era across all three formats. But his numbers in ODI cricket have been absolutely staggering, to say the least. He has dominated bowlers all over the world and has become the fastest to reach 12000 ODI runs. However, there have been some bowlers who have liked bowling to him and have been successful against him. Virat Kohli has found it difficult to score against these bowlers and has fallen prey to their brilliant line and length. Here are 4 bowlers who have dismissed Virat Kohli in most consecutive innings in ODIs.
1. Josh Hazelwood – 4 times (2020)
Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood has been highly successful against Virat Kohli in ODI cricket especially and has made his bunny by getting him out 4 consecutive times in 4 ODIs. The first of this instance came in the India versus Australia ODI at Bengaluru in early 2020 when India successfully chased down the target of 287, thanks to a brilliant partnership between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. But Hazlewood cleaned up Kohli on 89 and ensured that he did not reach his 44th ODI hundred. Both Kohli and Hazlewood then faced off against each other in India’s recently-concluded ODI series Down Under.
In the first game, Australia posted a mammoth total of 374 and India needed Virat Kohli to step up and perform. However, that was not to happen as hid was dismissed again by Hazlewood for just 21. In the second ODI, India were chasing yet another big target of 390 and were going strong in the chase after the 30-over-mark. This is when again Hazlewood was Kohli’s nemesis as he removed him for 89 and dented India’s hope of completing a record chase.
Hazlewood made it 4 in a row when he dismissed Kohli for 63 in the third ODI when he was set for another hundred and was looking in the mood.
2. Junaid Khan – 3 times (2012-2013)
Pakistan was touring India for a three-match ODI series and a two-match T20I series in late 2012-early 2013. Left-arm seamer Junaid Khan was Virat Kohli’s nemesis in the three-match ODI series as he got him out in all of the three innings. Kohli was cleaned up in the first ODI for a duck through a beauty from Junaid. In the second ODI, with India needing 251 runs to win, Virat Kohli knicked one back to Kamran Akmal off the bowling of Junaid again.
Junaid then made it three in a row in the third ODI as Kohli was again dismissed for 7. The champion player was kept quiet by the Pakistan speedster throughout the series as he could score only 13 runs. This made Junaid Khan the bowler who dismissed Virat Kohli for 2nd most consecutive times in ODI cricket.
3. Jhye Richardson – 3 times (2019)
India played a 3-match ODI series against Australia Down Under in early 2019 and this is when young pacer Jhye Richardson was highly successful against Virat Kohli. In the first ODI, India needed 289 runs to win and Kohli being the chase master was very crucial to the side.
However, Jhye Richardson made sure that Kohli was not going to win India the game as he dismissed him for just 3 runs. In the second ODI, Kohli responded with a fantastic ODI hundred, but was again dismissed by Richardson as he hit his ball straight down the throat of deep mid-wicket.
Richardson made it three in a row when he dismissed Virat Kohli in the third ODI for 46 when he was yet again well set to make it two ODI hundreds in a row. Although India ended up winning the series, the series was special for Richardson who got the big fish Virat Kohli out three successive times.
4. Trent Boult – 3 times (2019)
Trent Boult is arguably the best left-arm pacer in world cricket at the moment and one of the main reasons why he is such a threat is because of his ability to pick up big wickets. He has been highly successful against Virat Kohli and got him out 3 consecutive times in ODIs in 2019.
India were playing a 5-match ODI series against New Zealand in early 2019 and Virat Kohli played only the first three games. However, in the 2nd and 3rd ODI of that series, Kohli was dismissed by Boult. The chase master found it difficult to handle Boult’s impeccable line and length and thus Boult was successful against him.
The third time they met in the all-important 2019 World Cup semifinal. Trent Boult and Matt Henry ran through the Indian top order and Virat Kohli, who was India’s hope to take them to the World Cup final, was dismissed by a brilliant-in-swinger from Boult that trapped him in front.
Although that was one of the most painful sights in Indian cricket’s history, Boult has been acknowledged by the entire cricketing world as one of the finest left-arm pacers to ever play white-ball cricket.
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