From Virat Kohli's Doubt to Dhoni's Drive: How He Smashed 4-5 Double Centuries to Surpass Bradman and Dravid

Do you remember 2016? The year Virat Kohli unleashed his full potential and dominated every team, bowler, and opposition he faced. Eight years ago, Kohli transformed into a force to be reckoned with. Already a superstar in 2014, he solidified his status as one of the greats in 2015. But it was in 2016 that he truly ascended to legendary status. During the World T20, Kohli was named Player of the Tournament after scoring a remarkable 273 runs at an average of 136.5. In the IPL, he smashed 973 runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore and maintained an average of over 70 in all three formats of the game. His performances were jaw-dropping - scoring 739 runs in 10 ODIs, 641 runs in 13 T20Is, and a staggering 1215 runs in 18 Tests, including 7 centuries. The numbers were simply astounding. Kohli's dominance in 2016 was nothing short of freakish. It was a year that cemented his reputation as one of the greatest cricketers of our time.

But beyond these staggering statistics, there is one more number which Kohli holds dear to his heart: 7. That's the number of double-centuries he has struck in his Test career for India. As surprising as it may be, six of these seven double centuries came in a span of 17 months. Kohli's first double was a score of 200 against West Indies in July of 2016, and by December of 2017, he had racked up five more. But did you know, that for the longest time Kohli wondered when that elusive double will come. Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar shares an interesting anecdote, explaining the greatness of the man.

"There was a time when he said to me that he hasn't made any double hundred. And after a while there is a process to which he can make double hundreds, and once he achieved it, once he tasted it, I think he had some 4-5 double hundreds in one season. So that was all possible because of his extreme desire to do well and test himself," Bangar said on The Rao Podcast.

The term 'process' is one that was heavily used by another India legend and Kohli's first India captain, MS Dhoni. Like Dhoni had his 'processes', Kohli had his own method to madness. He was literally unstoppable during that period from 2016 to 2019. Kohli was batting on what they call 'GOD' mode, and everything he touched was turning into gold.

When Kohli made it rain runs

Kohli scored the second double-century of his India career, scoring 211 against New Zealand three months later in October 2016, but reserved his best for when England came to India. With the horror of 2014 still fresh in the mind of Kohli, he went about his 'process' almost with a touch of revenge, hitting 167 in the second Test and bettering it with 235 at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. He began 2017 pretty much the same way he ended 2016, scoring another double century – 204 against Bangladesh – the fourth of his career.

Kohli had to wait till the end of the year to repeat it, only this time he doubled up the double. Surprised? Against Sri Lanka, Kohli scored consecutive double hundreds at home – 213 in Nagpur followed by 243 in his hometown of Delhi. With this, Kohli ensured that he had a double century in four consecutive Test series, going past Rahul Dravid and the one and only Don Bradman, who had three each. The last double ton of Kohli's Test career came in the year 2019, which is also his highest score till date – 254 not out against South Africa in Pune. But with 16 more Tests lined up in the next year or so, expecting No. 8 or more surely won't be asking for too much.

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