Can Virat Kohli Create History with Hat-trick Centuries at One Venue?

Virat Kohli will be heading back to Adelaide Oval for the second ODI against Australia. His last two outings at this venue have been remarkable for the Indian fans. Kohli scored consecutive centuries here, and has the chance to score another in the next game.

Scoring consecutive centuries across different formats is challenging for the batsmen. But scoring consecutive centuries across the same format is regarded as more challenging. Still there is a rare record of scoring consecutive centuries in the same format and at the same venue. This could be achieved by Virat Kohli in the upcoming

Virat Kohli will be heading back to Adelaide after six long years, a ground which gave him consecutive centuries. In his last two outings at this ground, he scored tons for the Indian team. Now with Kohli playing another game at this venue, he has the chance to score a hat-trick of centuries at a single venue in the same format.

1. India vs Pakistan: World Cup 2015

It was time for the 2015 World Cup to start for India. And the start can't be better with the team going against their arch rivals Pakistan. Virat Kohli had already marked his name against Pakistan with his performances. Moreover, he was playing in Australia, a country where he was able to score runs across all formats.

The stars were aligned for the King to showcase his strong performances once again. India was able to win the toss in this game, as the team decided to bat first. Rohit Sharma was not able to sustain long enough against the Pakistani bowlers. He eventually lost his wicket after scoring 15 runs off 20 balls.

Then came Virat Kohli, and the real onslaught of the Pakistani bowlers started. He had a 129-run stand with Shikhar Dhawan for the second wicket, after which Dhawan departed. But then came Suresh Raina to help Virat Kohli from the other end. Both of them were able to dominate the Pakistani bowlers with ease.

Kohli was able to score 107 runs off 126 balls, with 8 fours, before losing his wicket to Sohail Khan. With Raina’s aggressive knock, India was able to finish at the score of 300/7. Now, it was time for Pakistan to give their best to chase the total of 301 runs to win the game. It was not going to be easy against India's bowling line-up which has Shami, Umesh, and more.

Pakistan lost a wicket in the powerplay but went on to play well in the middle overs. Ahmed Shehzad and Misbah-ul-Haq had a great stand, which put the team at the score of 102/2. But after this, the team trembled, with Umesh Yadav taking quick wickets to put them at the score of 102/4. Shahid Afridi tried his best to partner with Misbah-ul-Haq.

But the fall of their batting line-up continued, with Afridi losing his wicket against Shami. After this, the lower order got exposed, allowing Indian bowlers to quickly take wickets and finish the game. India was able to win this match by 76 runs, as Virat Kohli received the Player of the Match award.

2. India vs Australia, 2nd ODI: 2019

Virat Kohli returned to the Adelaide Oval in 2019 for an ODI match. But this time it was not the World Cup match. He went against Australia as a captain in an ODI series. India had already lost the first game of the series, making it an important one for India if they didn't want to lose the series.

Australia was lucky enough to win the toss in this game, and they decided to bat first. The Indian bowlers had a great start to the game, putting Australia at the score of 82/3. With this, they thought the team had an upper hand, but then came Shaun Marsh to the crease.

Marsh went on to score 131 runs from just 123 balls with 11 fours and 3 sixes. This was also accompanied by a cameo role of Glenn Maxwell, which helped Australia to score 298 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their innings. The target seemed challenging for the Indian team to chase down.

But things were made easier with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma giving a strong start to the team. With India standing at a score of 47/1, Virat Kohli came to the crease. Kohli went on to score 104 runs off 112 balls against the Australian bowlers, with just 8 fours. This shows his agility to take runs, as it also helped him to bring consecutive ODI centuries at one ground.

After Kohli lost his wicket, the remaining job was handled by Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni. The Indian wicket-keeper and former captain scored 55 runs off 54 balls, with just two sixes, which helped India to win the game by 6 wickets and 4 balls remaining. Virat Kohli received the POTM award once again for his century at this venue.

Now, with the Indian team heading back to Virat Kohli, can he score yet another century in this game to become a batsman with three consecutive ODI centuries at a single venue?