OTD In 2014 | When Virat Kohli Bagged Special Feat With Twin Adelaide Classics
Kohli made 115 & 141 on debut as Test captain (Twitter)
December 13 holds a special place in Virat Kohli's heart and his legendary career as it was on this day, nine years back, the great batter donned the hat as an India Test captain for the first time.
Kohli would fondly remember the opening Test of the 2014-15 trip to Australia in Adelaide for becoming the reigning ground for his ascent as India's Test captain amid injury to regular skipper MS Dhoni.
Despite being on stand-in duties at the time, the passionate cricketer gave an exceptional account of himself by fighting fire with fire against the Aussies in their den and struck two memorable centuries in the Test to lead his troops from the front.
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Kohli roared with great courage and bravery at the iconic Adelaide Oval and nearly helped India pull off a historic Test win at the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Exhibiting tremendous skill and temperament, the Indian cricket giant struck 115 in the first innings and backed it up with an epic 141 in the second half.
Virat Kohli's Landmark Test Debut As Captain
While the first-innings century was one of fantastic skill and dominance after Kohli had endured a horrific run in the previous series in England, the hundred in the final innings in the run-chase attained legendary proportions and perhaps laid bare an early marker on what everyone was about to witness of him as Test captain in the years that followed.
In a chase of 364, India decided not to drop guard or play for a draw at any stage of their stint on Day 5 as Kohli brought his 'A' game to the fore and gave it back to the dominant Aussies in equal measure. The epic knock threatened to recover all the ground conceded for the Test match and almost resulted in a memorable triumph.
Virat Kohli played a massive role in India's rise in Test cricket [X.com]
In the end, India fell painstakingly short by 48 runs, but Kohli impressed cricket lovers and experts all around the globe with his attitude and desperation for victory.
If ever there were any doubts, the Adelaide 2014 put paid on them and announced Kohli as Dhoni's able full-time successor for the times to come. He ultimately forged a mighty successful tenure at the top job between 2014 and 2021 as India transformed their fitness and fast-bowling culture to achieve unprecedented heights.
Kohli also bagged a remarkable landmark for himself with the twin hundreds, becoming the first Asian skipper ever to produce two centuries on his debut as Test captain. Never before and not since has any subcontinent player achieved the feat.
 "Kashish Chadha")