Revisiting Virat Kohli's seven Test double tons that outpaced Aussie legend Bradman

Virat had one of the best four-year stretches in Test cricket, scoring 4,208 runs in 43 Tests from 2016-19. These runs came at an average of 66.79, with 16 centuries and 10 fifties. An extremely memorable part of this whole run was the time period from July 2016 to October 2019, during which he notched seven double centuries, including six at home. He still holds the record for most Test double centuries by a captain and an Indian cricketer.

As he pulled down the curtains on his Test career, let us revisit his seven double centuries:

-Against the West Indies at North Sound, July 2016: Before this inning, whatever Virat had done in this part of the world in Tests was a nightmare. His Test debut Caribbean tour ended with him making just 76 runs in three Tests and five innings, and immediately raised questions about whether he was even meant for the whites.

Virat kick-started his batting prime in Tests with a majestic 200 in 283 balls with 24 fours at North Sound, helping India put up 566/8 declared, which WI could not outscore in their two innings. A young Virat washed away all the bad memories of the West Indies, stamping his authority against WI, taking a liking for Jason Holder and spinner Devendra Bishoo, scoring 10 of his boundaries against Bishoo.

-Against NZ in Indore, October 2016: Virat came to the crease with India at 60/2 after electing to bat first. Displaying his gap-finding abilities, class against spin and pace alike, Virat scored 211 runs in 366 balls, with 20 fours. He stitched a 365-run stand for the fourth-wicket with Ajinkya Rahane, India's highest for this wicket in Tests. India breached the 550-run mark and downed NZ by 321 runs in the match.

-Against England in Mumbai, December 2016: Virat struck his third double century in the third successive Test series, becoming the first-ever Test batter to do so. After England had opted to bat first and scored 400 thanks to a Keaton Jennings ton, they must have been extremely content. However, Virat was not scared away by this lead and decided to take the bowlers head on. While he was careful with James Anderson and Chris Woakes, he launched a fierce assault on Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, and Joe Root, scoring 131 runs against them with 12 boundaries, eight coming against Rashid. He piled up 235 in 340 balls, with 25 fours and a six, outbattling England with help from centurions Murali Vijay and Jayant Yadav, taking India to 631. India won the match by an innings and 36 runs.

-Against Bangladesh in Hyderabad, February 2017: India won the toss and opted to bat first. Virat was ruthless against Bangladeshi bowlers, scoring 204 runs in just 246 balls with 24 fours at a domineering strike rate of 82.92. With Vijay and Wriddhiman Saha raking up centuries as well, India reached 687/6 declared in the first innings. Once again, his dominance against spin stood out, scoring 127 runs and securing half his boundaries against them. India won the match by 208 runs.

This was Virat's fourth successive double ton in a fourth successive series, going past Rahul Dravid and Don Bradman.

-Against Sri Lanka at Vidarbha, November 2017: After a horror Border-Gavaskar Series against Australia at home where he could not even cross the 20-run mark once, Virat roared back against SL. After SL scored 205 following their decision to bat first, Virat outscored them single-handedly, scoring 213 runs in 267 balls, with 17 fours and two sixes. His runs came at a strike rate of 79.77. Virat's tempo matched with any other decent ODI inning as centuries from Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Rohit Sharma helped India take a gigantic lead, which pushed them to an innings win.

-Against Sri Lanka in Delhi, November 2017: Another Virat special and his second double hundred in the same series, making him the first Indian to score two double tons in two successive Tests. After India elected to bat first, Virat made 243 runs in 287 balls, with 25 fours, coming at a strike rate of 84.66. He took his team to 536/7 declared, and the match ended in a draw.

-Against South Africa in Pune, October 2019: This was Virat's final double century and his highest Test score ever. After India won the toss and chose to bat first, Virat notched 254 runs in 336 balls, with 33 fours and two sixes. His runs came at a strike 75.59. His hitting against spinners Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthuswamy was delightful, scoring 127 runs against them in 165 balls, with 12 fours and two sixes coming against these bowlers. India raced to 601/5 declared and secured an innings win.

All these double centuries came in 1,176 days, making him the fastest to do so, outpacing Bradman, who achieved his first seven double tons in 1,484 days. In this stretch of seven double tons, he made 4,060 runs in 40 Tests at an average of 67.66, with 15 centuries and 10 fifties in 66 innings.