Why Adelaide is Virat Kohli's happiest hunting ground

Virat Kohli can't explain why Adelaide Oval is his happiest hunting ground.

The Indian megastar felt at home from the moment he set foot in the famed venue in South Australia's capital.

"I absolutely love playing in this ground," Kohli said at Adelaide Oval in November 2022.

"Right from the nets at the back, as soon as I enter, it makes me feel at home ...  when I come here, it's like I'm meant to come to Adelaide and enjoy my batting."

Enjoy is an understatement: he is more successful at Adelaide Oval than any other international arena he has graced.

Kohli has scored five tons at Adelaide Oval - three in Test matches, two in one-day internationals.

And in three Twenty20 innings at the venue, the maestro has scored 90 not out, 64 not out and 50.

In all formats, Kohli averages 73.61 in Adelaide, with the five tons complemented by four half-centuries.

No cricketer from outside Australia has scored more centuries in Adelaide than Kohli, who returns to his favoured ground for the second Test starting on Friday fresh from a form-finding ton in the series opener in Perth.

"I don't know what the connection is, but I just feel really good here," Kohli said in Adelaide in 2018.

"Not to say that performances are always guaranteed in a certain place, but coming to Adelaide I feel different to any other place that I have gone in the world.

"It happens to every cricketer, they do have a favourite ground away from home.

"For me, Adelaide has always been special because I scored my first Test ton here ... from then on, the connection started."

Kohli's maiden Test century came in January 2012.

He returned to Adelaide for his first Test as India captain in December 2014 - and made tons in each innings.

Of non-Australians, only England great Jack Hobbs has equalled the feat of a triple treat of Test tons in Adelaide - Hobbs scored three from 10 digs between 1912 and 1925; Kohli's trio have come from eight innings.

Kohli has made as many Adelaide Test centuries as Sir Donald Bradman and Steve Waugh, among other Australians. Granted, the peerless Bradman turned all three of his into double-centuries.

For the record, Michael Clarke has the most Adelaide Test tons: seven from 17 innings, followed by Ricky Ponting (six from 31), David Warner (four from 19), David Boon (four from 23) and Allan Border (four from 29).

In 50-over internationals, Kohli's four knocks at Adelaide Oval feature two centuries: 107 against Pakistan in the 2015 World Cup, followed by 104 against Australia four years later.

Kohli shares the record for most ODI tons at the ground with England's Graeme Hick, who scored his two from two innings, Warner (eight innings) and Mark Waugh (10 innings).

In T20 internationals at Adelaide Oval, Kohli is yet to score a century - only two players have, Australians Glenn Maxwell and Warner.

Kohli's Adelaide average in the shortest format - 204 - sits only behind that of Maxwell (236), who has made a ton and two half-centuries from his three T20 outings at the oval.

Kohli's record at Adelaide Oval

Overall: 15 innings, 957 runs at an average of 73.61 (5 centuries, 4 half-centuries)

 

Tests: 8 Innings, 509 runs at 63.62 (3 centuries, one half-century)

 

ODIs: 4 innings, 244 runs at 61 (2 centuries)

 

T20s: 3 innings, 204 runs at 204 (3 half-centuries)

NRMA Insurance Men's Test Series v India

First Test: India won by 295 runs

Second Test: December 6-10: Adelaide Oval, 3pm AEDT (D/N)

Third Test: December 14-18: The Gabba, Brisbane, 11.20am AEDT

Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10.30am AEDT

Fifth Test: January 3-7: SCG, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT

Australia squad (for second Test): Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal