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The Johannesburg classic! Kohli’s heroic twin innings that saved India in 2013

Poulomi Chakraborty

Virat Kohli's excellence in South Africa (Source: @Melbourne_82/x.com)Virat Kohli's excellence in South Africa (Source: @Melbourne_82/x.com)

With rare talent and iron-clad self-belief, Virat Kohli didn’t just step into Test cricket; he kicked off a revolution that transformed India’s red-ball era. Walking in as a promising star to walking away from the format is one of the biggest legends of the game, Kohli climbed the highest peak with his excellence.

Whenever India was in trouble, the King stepped in with his trusted sword and rescued the side from the slum. Among his countless rescue acts, that masterclass on South African soil, delivered when India was sinking, once again proved why he remains India's ultimate savior.

A stunning century and a gritty 96 didn’t just keep India alive; they snatched the team from the jaws of defeat and forced a dramatic draw. Let’s take a look back at when the longest format witnessed a ‘Kohli-Mania’.

Secures the kingdom with a stunning ton even before becoming the ‘King’

Whenever Virat Kohli used to walk in whites, the entire world used to pause to witness his mastery in the red-ball format, where every shot was a pure art. From his initial days to the last Test outing, he owned the game, delivered some unreal masterpieces, and left the format being the ‘King’. Every time he took guard, hope skyrocketed, just like that unforgettable 2013 epic against the Proteas, when he flipped the script and stunned the world.

As India travelled to South Africa for a two-match Test series, the Men in Blue slipped into trouble in the first match. Batting first in the match, India lost both the openers within only 24 runs, and pressure mounted. After those early stumbles, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli needed to take charge. Adding 89 runs with Kohli, Pujara walked away scoring just 25 runs.

Standing at that point, India needs Kohli to do a magic, and King’s sword swung high. Taking the charge, he faced deadly bounce, unplayable deliveries, and kept the hope alive. Completing a 76-ball 50, he kept going.

Guiding the team while beating the Protea bowlers hard, Virat Kohli smashed another brilliant Test hundred in just 148 runs. With that brilliance, India escaped early stumbles. Even the batting order faltered, Kohli’s exceptional innings of 119 runs in 181 balls with 18 boundaries helped the side to put on a total of 280 runs.

A fearless 96 shows true courage beyond any century

Milestones speak about class, centuries speak about brilliance, but some gritty knocks feel special even more than a hundred. After a stunning century in the first innings, Virat Kohli started in the second innings, where he left earlier, but he had a co-warrior here. With Shikhar Dhawan gone for 15 and Murali Vijay dismissed for 39.

After that, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli were handed the massive responsibility to give India a massive boost. As Pujara already put pressure on the Protea bowlers, Virat Kohli smashed a thrilling half-century in just 74 balls. After Pujara scored a century, Kohli eyed another Test ton, but that was shattered in the mid-way.

Kohli’s brilliance was already haunting the opponent bowlers, and they just waited to get rid of his assault. The Indian batter eyed another gripping hundred, but Duminy sent him back in 96 runs. The four-run near-miss century broke millions of fans worldwide.

Even though he missed the century, he proved that whenever India seemed in trouble, he stepped in as a savior. The challenges on the Protea soil are known to the world, but in those deadly bounces, young Kohli wrote the story of his own heroics. Every time both sides collide, fans take a moment to remember the ‘Kohli Mania’.