Virat Kohli turns 31: Top 5 catches by the Indian captain so far

Virat Kohli, who turned 31 on Thursday, is one of the most successful players in the game today. He has been prolific with his batting form as well. In One Day Internationals, Kohli has scored 11,520 runs in 230 matches. Meanwhile, in the Test format, he has scored 7,066 runs in 139 innings. Due to a remarkable improvement in his fitness, Kohli has been able to lift the fielding standards of the Indian team by leading through example. He has taken a total of 234 catches in all three formats- T20I, ODI and Tests. Here are the five exciting catches that the Indian skipper has taken.

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India vs South Africa 2019

Indian captain Virat Kohli showed a great amount of athleticism after he took a stunning one-handed catch to send South Africa captain Quinton de Kock back to the pavilion during the second Twenty20 International against South Africa in Mohali in October 2019. Kohli, who was placed at the mid-off position, stretched both his hands, completing a good catch with his left hand. It was off Navdeep Saini’s 141.2 kmph short of a length delivery.

India vs South Africa 2011

In 2011, India had a two-wicket win against South Africa in Cape Town. Electing to bat, the Proteas side were restricted to 220 runs. In that match, Kohli took a perfect catch to dismiss Colin Ingram. He was positioned at first slip and he took a one-handed catch off Harbhajan Singh’s delivery. Returning with the bat, the Indian side cruised the score in 48.2 overs with the loss of eight wickets.

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India vs Pakistan 2010

Virat Kohli took a stunning one-handed catch at first slip once again to dismiss Pakistan batsman Umar Amin. India won that match against Pakistan by 3 wickets in 2010. Harbhajan Singh bowled a doosra to Umar as he nicked the ball which went into Kohli’s hands.

India vs South Africa 2015

In 2015, AB de Villiers got out on a Mohit Sharma ball as Kohli took a flying catch at the cover position to dismiss his Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate. It helped India beat South Africa by 22 runs.

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India vs England 2016

In 2016, India won their fourth test against England by an innings and 36 runs. In that match, skipper Virat Kohli took a superb catch at the first slip position. As Ravichandran Ashwin bowled a googly, the ball hit the edge of Joe Root’s bat and went towards slip. Virat, who was standing at the slip position, predicted the ball coming towards him and shifted to the perfect spot where he caught the ball comfortably before hitting root’s edge of the bat.

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