Virat Kohli has conquered almost every major challenge that has come his way in international cricket. He dominated in Australia, scored runs in South Africa, enjoyed remarkable success throughout England and established himself as one of the greatest batsmen of his generation across all formats.
However, Lord’s is one of the few major international grounds where Virat Kohli has never managed to play the decisive innings that was expected of a player of his stature. While he has recorded memorable centuries at many famous venues around the world, the historic London grounds have repeatedly exposed his weakness against the moving ball.
Ahead of another India vs England Lord’s ODI, Kohli’s numbers at the venue have once again come into limelight. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli recently left in a private car after Team India reached the hotel ahead of the third ODI.
key points
- Virat Kohli has played nine international innings at Lord’s including Test and ODI.
- He has never scored a half-century or century at the venue.
- Kohli’s average at Lord’s is 22.66, which is much lower than his career average.
- Lord’s is the only international venue where he has played more than three innings without scoring a half-century.
Virat Kohli’s complete batting record at Lord’s
Unlike many other venues in England, Lord’s has never really belonged to Virat Kohli. In six innings in Test cricket and three innings in ODIs, Kohli has scored 204 runs in nine innings at an average of only 22.66, without scoring a single half-century. His highest score is 45, which came during the second ODI of India’s 2018 tour of England.
His Test record is particularly disappointing. Kohli has scored 127 runs in six innings at an average of 21.16, with his highest score being 42. Although he has looked comfortable in patches, he has repeatedly failed to convert starts into significant contributions.
The ODI figures also tell a similar story. In three innings at Lord’s, Kohli has scored 77 runs at an average of 25.66, with his best effort being 45 runs.
For a batsman who has scored international centuries at iconic venues such as Adelaide, Centurion, Perth, Melbourne, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Colombo and The Oval, Lord’s remains a glaring exception.
In fact, this is the only international venue where Kohli has batted more than three times without registering a single half-century, which highlights how unusual his struggles have been at the famous ground.
Much of this hinges on the bowlers’ ability to take advantage of the unique conditions at Lord’s. The famous slope, coupled with helpful seam movement, continues to challenge Kohli outside the off stump. On several occasions, fast bowlers provoked him into playing balls that could have been left alone, resulting in catches on the edge or in the slip cordon behind the wicket.
Virat Kohli’s every innings at Lord’s and what happened
25 and 0 vs England (2nd Test, 2014)
Kohli arrived at Lord’s during one of the toughest periods of his career against England. In the first innings, he looked much more confident than earlier in the series and scored 25 runs from 34 balls with four fours before being bowled by a trademark delivery by James Anderson.
The experienced seamer swept the ball around the wicket before it went far enough to hit Kohli’s outside edge, with wicketkeeper Matt Prior completing the catch.
If the dismissal in the first innings revealed Anderson’s talent, the second innings was even more disappointing. Kohli shouldered the ball from Liam Plunkett, which bounced off him and hit the stumps, resulting in a golden duck. India eventually won the Test by 95 runs, but Kohli’s personal struggle had already begun at Lord’s.
23 and 17 vs England (2nd Test, 2018)
Four years later, Kohli returned to Lord’s as India captain after a stellar tour with the bat, but the famous ground once again proved difficult.
In the first innings, he scored 23 runs from 57 balls, before Chris Woakes trapped him with late movement. Attempting to take the ball down the leg side, Kohli closed the face of the bat a little early, creating a leading edge which was taken safely to slip.
His second innings also ended in an equally disappointing manner. Stuart Broad took an awkward bounce from a back-of-the-length delivery, leaving Kohli in an uncomfortable position. The ball hit his gloves before hitting his body, giving Ollie Pope the opportunity to complete a sharp catch at short leg. Kohli could score only 40 runs in the match, while India had to face a crushing innings defeat.
42 and 20 vs England (2nd Test, 2021)
The 2021 Lord’s Test perhaps provided Kohli’s best opportunity to play a signature innings at the venue.
Batting on a surface that had become quite easy, he played a patient inning of 42 runs from 103 balls and showed excellent discipline outside the off stump for most of his time. However, just when the half-century was close in reach, Ollie Robinson found the outside edge with a ball that prompted Kohli to play on a ball he could have left alone.
With his dismissal, England got an important success late in the night. In the second innings, Virat Kohli made a positive start and hit four fours during his quickfire 20 off 31 balls, but Sam Curran once again exposed his tendency to chase balls outside the off stump. The left-handed batsman hit an outside edge which was comfortably collected by wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.
Although Virat Kohli’s individual scores remained modest, an unforgettable final day partnership from Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah helped India script one of their biggest overseas Test wins by defeating England by 151 runs.
16 vs England (ODI, 2011)
Virat Kohli’s first ODI appearance at Lord’s came during India’s disappointing 2011 tour of England.
Chasing 271 in a rain-affected match, he managed only 16 runs from 36 balls, but was betrayed by Graeme Swann with extra bounce. To guide the off-spinner late, Kohli edged the ball to wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter.
India eventually tied the match based on the Duckworth–Lewis method, but Virat Kohli failed to make a significant contribution.
45 vs England (ODI, 2018)
Virag Kohli’s highest international score at Lord’s came in the second ODI of the 2018 series.
He looked in complete control, scoring 45 runs from 56 balls, rotating the strike expertly and hitting the occasional boundary. However, just as he looked set for his maiden half-century at Lord’s, he was trapped LBW by Moeen Ali.
While attempting to play across the line, Virat Kohli missed a ball that remained slightly low and the umpire had some hesitation in raising his finger. The dismissal proved costly as India lost the match by 86 runs.
16 vs England (ODI, 2022)
Kohli’s recent appearance at Lord’s lasted only 25 balls.
Facing left-arm pacer David Willey in cloudy conditions, Kohli once again fell victim to the outside edge. Drawn to play on a good length delivery going away from him, he edged it past Jos Buttler.
The dismissal revealed a worrying pattern that has followed Kohli throughout his career at Lord’s, of repeatedly struggling against seam movement outside the off stump. India were eventually bowled out for 146 and lost the match by 100 runs.
Virat Kohli’s overall record in Test, ODI and T20 in England
While Virat Kohli’s Lord’s record remains a rare blemish on his extraordinary career, it does not accurately reflect his overall success in English conditions.
Across all formats, Kohli has enjoyed a number of memorable performances in England, proving that his struggles have largely been confined to one venue rather than the country.
Virat Kohli’s first Test tour of England in 2014 is remembered for James Anderson highlighting his technique outside the off stump. During that series he scored only 134 runs in 10 innings at an average of 13.40, contributing only 25 and 0 at Lord’s.
However, the great batsman responded in champion style four years later. On the 2018 tour, Kohli silenced his critics by finishing as the leading run-scorer of the series with 593 runs, including two centuries. His brilliant 149 at Edgbaston and 103 at Trent Bridge remain among the best overseas centuries scored by an Indian batsman.
Overall, Kohli finished his Test career in England with 1,096 runs at an average of 33.21 in 17 Tests and 33 innings, including two centuries and five fifties. Although those numbers are respectable, they declined due to his difficult 2014 series and his inability to crack Lord’s, where he averaged only 21.16 in six innings.
Unlike Tests, Kohli has consistently excelled in ODI cricket on English soil. In 35 ODIs in England, he has scored 1,419 runs at an excellent average of 50.67, including 13 half-centuries.
Virat Kohli’s T20I record in England has also been excellent overall. He has scored 192 runs in seven T20I innings in England at an average of 32.00, and has often played important innings in difficult batting conditions.
Very few international venues have challenged Virat Kohli so consistently throughout his career. He conquered fast pitches in Australia, mastered seam movement in South Africa after early struggles, dominated spin-friendly conditions in Asia and set a remarkable overseas record across all formats.
However, Lord’s remained aloof. He could never reach a half-century in nine international innings. Ironically, Kohli was still a part of some of India’s most memorable moments at the venue.
