Virat Kohli's Stunning 2462-Day Streak Ends After India's Horror Bowling Display Against South Africa
Published - 04 Dec 2025, 10:35 AM
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Raipur witnessed a dramatic twist on Wednesday night (December 3) as Virat Kohli’s brilliant 102 off 93 balls failed to save India from a shocking four-wicket defeat against South Africa in the second ODI of the ongoing three-match ODI series.
Fans were left stunned as South Africa chased down the 159-run target and handed India one of their most unexpected losses in recent years at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. With the four-wicket victory, South Africa leveled the ongoing ODI series 1-1.
India faces rare defeat in Raipur after Virat Kohli's century
This loss carried a rare and painful statistic. It was India’s first defeat in international cricket in 2462 days when Kohli scored a century. The last time it happened was on March 8, 2019, in Ranchi against Australia.
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Coincidentally, that match turned out to be MS Dhoni’s last international appearance on Indian soil. In that game, Kohli had blasted 123 from 95 balls, but India still failed to chase the 315-run target and finished with only 281 against Australia.
Kohli’s Raipur knock was his 84th international hundred, and India was in a great position to win the match, but this time, the script flipped.
Virat Kohli's 14 centuries ended in defeat
India has now lost 14 matches where Virat Kohli scored a century. In ODIs alone, India has suffered defeat in 8 out of the 53 matches in which the former Indian captain reached triple figures. The remaining seven centuries that ended in defeat came in Test cricket.
One of those unforgettable moments came in Adelaide in December 2014, when Kohli scored a century in both innings of the Test but India still lost. Even though the result was disappointing, that Test match remains special on the Australia tour because it was his first match as India’s Test captain.
Comparing this state with Sachin Tendulkar, the legendary cricketer finished his career with 100 international centuries from 664 matches between 1989 and 2013. Out of those, Tendulkar’s 25 centuries came in matches where India ended up losing in the international arena.
When India lost despite Virat Kohli’s century
Meanwhile, there have been rare days when Virat Kohli’s brilliance with the bat could not prevent India from defeat. The first instance came in 2011, when his 107 in Cardiff wasn’t enough against England in an ODI match. A year later in Adelaide, he fought hard with 116 in a long Test innings, but Australia took the match.
In 2014, Kohli delivered a superb 123 in Napier, followed by a memorable Test in Adelaide where he scored 115 and 141 in the same match, yet India lost the match. The pattern continued in 2015 at Galle with a gritty 103. In 2016, he reached 117 in Melbourne and 106 in Canberra, but India lost both ODI games against Australia.
The right-handed batter’s 121-run knock in Mumbai against New Zealand in 2017 also came in a losing cause in the ODI clash. Kohli’s 2018 run was also a disappointing one for the Indian cricket team.
This run included powerful knocks of 153 in a Test match against South Africa in Centurion, 149 in a Test match against England in Birmingham, 107 in an ODI match against the West Indies in Pune, and 123 in a Test match against Australia in Perth.
In 2019, India had also lost an ODI match when Kohli had scored 123 runs against Australia in Ranchi. And now in Raipur, where Kohli's 102 went in vain against South Africa.
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