Four years after his lowest point in Test cricket, Kohli came back to the UK – not just to score runs, but to reclaim his place among the greats
There’s a peculiar kind of silence before a major series. Not the kind you hear, but the one you feel. Back in the summer of 2018, as India arrived in England for a five-match Test tour, you could sense that silence surrounding one man – Virat Kohli.
Everyone remembered what transpired four years earlier. In 2014, Kohli managed only 134 runs in ten innings. England’s bowlers, particularly James Anderson, had discovered his weaknesses — time after time. He poked, he prodded, he missed. And it wasn’t merely a rough patch. It was the period that led people to question if he could genuinely be the best in red-ball cricket.
So, indeed, 2018 wasn’t just about a tour. It was about redemption.
Credit: Mid-day
The series began in Birmingham. The pitch had life in it, the skies were grey, and England’s pace attack — Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes, and Sam Curran — were ready to pounce.
India bowled first, and England posted 287 runs. When it was India’s turn to bat, wickets kept falling around one man — Kohli. However, he looked different; he stood outside the crease, played the ball earlier, and remained calm, even as the ball zipped past his edge.
He made 149 runs in that first innings, then followed it up with 51 in the second. No one else from India passed fifty in either innings. India lost the match, but let’s be honest — it felt as though Kohli had already won something far more personal.
Credit: The Gurdian
One of the biggest talking points was Kohli versus Anderson. In 2014, Anderson had dismissed him four times. In 2018, he couldn’t get him out once. Not in Edgbaston. Not anywhere else.
Kohli had worked on his game, took tips from Ravi Shastri, moved his guard forward, and played the ball before it could move too much. It wasn’t just technique — it was bravery. To change your method and take on a bowler like Anderson in his own backyard? That takes guts.
The series didn’t go India’s way. They lost 1-4. But Kohli? He finished with 593 runs in 5 matches: 2 centuries, 3 fifties, and an average of nearly 60. It was the highest tally by any batter in that series, while England’s top scorer, Jos Buttler, had almost 250 runs fewer.
At Trent Bridge, Kohli made 97 and 103 match-winning knocks, leading India to a rare overseas victory.
More importantly, he never looked uncomfortable; he was confident, assured, and in control.
Credit: The Gurdian
You know how some things are bigger than numbers? This was one of those instances.
This wasn’t merely about hundreds. It was about demonstrating that a poor tour does not define a player. That one can stumble, rise again, and confront the very same challenges head-on. Kohli didn’t avoid the ghosts of 2014. He faced them, walked past them, and kept moving forward.
Credit: ESPN
Much has changed as India returns to England for another five-match Test series. There’s no Kohli. No Rohit. No Ashwin. A young Shubman Gill leads the side, with Rishabh Pant as his deputy.
Yet, the echoes of 2018 still resonate in the background—in memories, in inspiration, and in the reminder that a great player doesn’t need to win a series to earn respect.
