Virat Kohli topped the Test batting charts in the world with 1,322 runs. He was also the highest century-maker in 2018 with five. Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara were India's Test batting stalwarts this year as we look back at the top-10 knocks by Indians in the five-day format. It was also a memorable year for India debutants Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw
The year 2018 will be remembered for India's overseas Test successes. Virat Kohli and his men won four Tests, one each in South Africa and England, and two in Australia. The Indian cricket team ended on a high with a historic triumph in Melbourne.
Kohli was the highest run-getter in the world in the five-day format with 1,322 runs, including five centuries, from 13 matches.
Also read: India's Top 10 ODI knocks of 2018
MyNation brings to you the top-10 Test knocks from Indian batsmen in 2018.
In the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India were in dire straits at 4/41 on the first morning after captain Kohli won the toss and chose to bat. When none of the other batsmen got going, Pujara played one of his best knocks, taking the team to 250. He single-handedly defied the Australian bowling and scored 123 off 246 balls. His gutsy innings laid the foundation for India's historic 31-run win that saw the visitors go 1-0 up in the four-Test rubber. Not only in the first innings, Pujara was the star for India in the second essay too as he contributed crucial 71 runs from 204 balls.
Also read: India's Top 10 T20I knocks of 2018
Again, Pujara showed his value to the side as he struck his second century of the series Down Under. Here too, Pujara showed why he is rated among the best batsmen in Test cricket. He played a proper Test innings, his 106 coming off 319 balls. Just like in Adelaide, in Melbourne too, he put his hand up for the team. His ton and later Jasprit Bumrah's exploits with the ball gave India a 137-run win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) as they finished the year on a high with a 2-1 lead in the series.
Also read: Top 5 Test batsmen of 2018
Kohli struck a superb 103 in the second innings as India set a mammoth 521-run target for England. The hosts were bowled out for 317. Thanks to Kohli's knock, India staged a comeback in the five-match series. The scoreline read 1-2 after this Test but England won the next two to take the series convincingly.
Also read: Top 10 Test bowlers of 2018
Prithvi announced his arrival on the Test scene with a ton on debut. It was a knock which earned him a lot of praise. The Mumbai teenager did not show any nerves as he attacked the West Indies bowlers to score 134 off 154 balls with 19 boundaries. He won the Man of the Match award as India won by an innings and 272 runs. Much was expected from him in Australia but a freak ankle injury put paid to his hopes and he was ruled out of the entire four-Test rubber.
Kohli played a masterclass when all his other teammates struggled. The Indian captain struck 153, while the next-bet score was not even a half-century. He was the reason India could post a respectable score of 307 in reply to South Africa's 335. The difficulty quotient made this innings special. India lost the Test in the end, crumbling in the second innings, but Kohli's innings was one of the best he had played in recent times.
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At the start of the year, India travelled to South Africa. Much was expected from Kohli and his men but they disappointed. They lost the opening two Tests to the Proteas. However, in the third and final Test, India pulled one back with a hard-fought 63-run triumph. Kohli's 54 in the first innings was crucial. Also, Pujara's 50 in the same innings helped India's cause.
Also read: Top 5 debutants who lit up Test cricket in 2018
Every century in Australia is special. Kohli hit another three-figure mark but that did not end up in a win for India. In difficult batting conditions, Kohli proved why he is the best batsman at the moment. On a green wicket, Kohli thwarted the Australian fast bowlers to score 123 off 257. Despite his knock, India went down to the hosts by a huge 146-run margin.
Pant could have easily scored his second Test hundred but his aggressiveness resulted in his downfall. He fell in the nineties for the second consecutive innings. After he was out for 92 in the first Test against the Windies in Rajkot, the wicketkeeper-batsman headed back to the pavilion on the same score again in Hyderabad. However, his innings proved vital as India won by 10 wickets and effected a 2-0 clean sweep.
With the series already lost and his place under threat due to poor performances, Rahul rose to the occasion. His 149 was made in a losing cause but ensured that he retained his place for the next Test series. India were chasing a mammoth 464 at The Oval, and despite Rahul's ton, India lost by 118 runs.
Maiden Test centuries are always close to your heart. And Pant registered his first Test century in England, showing that he belongs to the five-day format. While Rahul made 149, Pant scored a memorable 114 off 146 balls.
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