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When Kohli buried ghosts to dominate 2018 England Test series
14 May 2025

Virat Kohli, who recently retired from Test cricket, enjoyed a phenomenal run in the format.

The 2018 away series against England will remain one of the highlights of his Test career.

He scored runs for fun in the five-match series though India suffered a 1-4 defeat.

Notably, the series was highly anticipated as Kohli's preceding Test assignment in England, in 2014, was horrendous.

Here we recall how Kohli overcame the ghosts of the forgettable 2014 series.

Horrendous outing in 2014 series
2014

As mentioned, Kohli had a tough time during his first Test series in England, in 2014.

He managed just 134 runs in 10 innings, failing to touch the 40-run mark even once.

Kohli constantly struggled against out-swinging deliveries as this chink in the armor was brilliantly exploited by legendary England pacer James Anderson.

The legendary fast bowler dismissed him four times in that series, which India lost 1-3.

Kohli's groundbreaking approach in 2018
Strategy shift

In the 2018 series, Kohli took a revolutionary approach to red-ball batting in England.

He defied the conventional wisdom of playing late after the ball had done its business.

Instead, he took guard outside the crease and confronted Anderson head-on, meeting the ball before it started breaking for movement off the pitch.

The daring strategy paid off as he played one stellar knock after another.

Solid return in Birmingham Test
Sensational star

Kohli returned four years later in England, this time as captain, with a new plan that would seal his place in the pantheon of cricket greats.

He brilliantly operated with the tail-enders and scored a brilliant 149 off 225 balls in the opener in Birmingham.

No other batter could even touch the 30-run mark in India's first innings. The visitors, however, eventually lost that contest.

97 & 103 in Nottingham Test
Knocks

Kohli starred in both innings of the 2018 Nottingham Test as India claimed a massive 203-run win.

His 152-ball 97 in the first innings frustrated the England bowlers as the visitors finished at 329/10 batting first.

Though he missed out on a ton on this occasion, he eventually touched the three-figure mark in India's second innings.

Kohli further scored a magnificent 103 off 197 balls, playing a pivotal role in helping India set a daunting target of 521 for England.

593 runs in that series
Tally

Kohli finished the series with 593 at 59.3 with the help of two tons and three fifties (10 innings).

The then-Indian skipper was in a league of his own as no other batter could even manage 350 runs in the series.

Rahul Dravid is the only Indian batter to hammer more runs in a Test series in England, having registered 602 runs in the 2002 tour.

Redemption against Anderson
Fact

While Anderson was all over Kohli in the 2014 series, he could not trap the batter even once across eight innings in 2018. The Indian ace mustered 114 runs in battle while tackling 270 deliveries without being fazed.

Kohli's strategy inspired by coach Ravi Shastri
Coaching influence

Kohli later revealed that his revolutionary plan for the 2018 series stemmed from conversations with then-coach Ravi Shastri.

"Ravi-bhai told me to stand outside the crease," Kohli said, explaining Shastri's mindset behind this advice: "You should be in control of the space you're playing (in) and not give (it to) the bowlers to get you out. So many dismissals get taken out when you're standing outside the crease."

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