Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli shot to prominence after leading India to Under-19 World Cup glory in Malaysia in 2008. India defeated Wayne Parnell’s South Africa in the final, winning by a margin of 12 runs (D/L method).

Virat Kohli debuted for the senior national side against Sri Lanka in an ODI in 2008. His performance soon made him a regular in the squad and earned him a spot in the 2011 ICC World Cup squad. The same year he made his Test debut. The next year he was appointed the vice-captain of the ODI team and in 2014, he was given the Test captaincy following Dhoni’s retirement from Tests. In 2017, Dhoni stepped down from the position of the ODI captain and Virat was passed on the baton.

With numerous awards and records to his name, combined with consistently great performances has surely put Virat Kohli in the league of one of the best batters, especially in limited-overs cricket.

Virat Kohli: Along the Years

Virat Kohli Records

Virat Kohli has the best-ever Test, ODI, and Twenty20 International rating of any Indian batsman. Kohli is a chase master and has the highest number of centuries in run-chases in the world. He is also the fastest batsman to 10,000 and 11,000 runs in ODI cricket having achieved the milestones in 205 and 222 innings respectively. Virat Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record of most centuries (49) in One-Day International cricket by scoring his 50th ODI ton against New Zealand in the semifinal of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Virat Kohli Awards and Accolades

Virat Kohli was awarded the ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2012, 2-17, and 2018.

In 2017 and 2018, he was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year). In 2018, he also got the award of ICC Test Player of the Year.

Virat Kohli was Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Virat Kohli got the Arjuna Award in 2013, the Padma Shri in 2017, and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (now called the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award) in 2018.

In 2019, Virat Kohli won the ICC Spirit of Cricket award for asking the crowd to cheer instead of boo Steve Smith in a league game against Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup. He has won the ICC Player of the Tournament awards across two WT20 editions (2014 and 2016) and the CWC edition (2023). Kohli won the ICC Cricketer of the Decade award in 2020 and the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award in 2023. In the process, he also became the first cricketer in history to win over 10 ICC awards.

Virat Kohli Career

Virat Kohli is one of the greatest batters to play the game of cricket and is arguably the greatest all-format batter. He has had a tremendous career, achieving feats and breaking numerous records over the years, which makes him a class apart.

Virat Kohli Domestic Career

Virat Kohli started training at the West Delhi Cricket Academy in 1998. He started playing for Delhi Under-15 team in 2002. He became the captain of the team for the 2003-04 Polly Umrigar Trophy. He played in the 2003-04 Vijay Merchant Trophy as a part of the Delhi Under-17 team. His List A debut came in 2006 against Services. The same year he was selected for the India Under-19 squad. He also made his first-class debut for Delhi against Tamil Nadu the same year. In early 2008 Virat Captained the Indian U-19 team to victory at the 2008 ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia.

Virat Kohli IPL Career

Virat Kohli started his IPL career with Royal Challengers Bangalore on a youth contract. He had an indifferent inaugural season as he managed to score only 165 runs in 12 innings. His performance improved in the next two seasons as he scored 246 and 307 runs in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Kohli was the only player retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore for the 2011 season. Kohli scored 557 runs, second only to Chris Gayle in the 2011 season with a strike rate of 121.

He had a moderate performance in the next season and scored 364 runs with an average of 28. Kohli finished the 2013 season of the IPL as the third-highest run-getter. He scored 634 runs including six fifties at a strike rate of over 138. Kohli’s batting performance helped his team reach the playoffs in the 2015 season as he scored 505 runs at an average of 45.90. RCB finished the next season as the runners-up and Kohli broke the record for most runs in an IPL season.

He scored 973 runs, including four centuries, and also became the first player to reach the 4000-run milestone in the IPL. He got the Orange Cap in the 2016 season. Before the start of the 2018 season, Kohli was retained by the RCB for a price of Rs 17 crore. In the 2019 season of the IPL, he became the second player to reach 5000 runs in IPL.

In April 2021, Kohli became the first batter to score 6000 IPL runs. At the end of IPL 2021, Kohli relinquished the captaincy of RCB after leading the franchise in 140 games in more than 12 seasons. Kohli was the first player retained by RCB in the 2022 mega auction alongside Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj. He had a mediocre season with the bat in IPL 2022, scoring 341 runs at a strike rate of 115.99. However, Kohli bounced back to his roaring best with a terrific season in the following year, as he amassed 639 runs at a strike rate of 139.82, including two centuries as well, and surpassed Chris Gayle’s record of most centuries in IPL history. 

Virat Kohli International Career

Virat Kohli is arguably the greatest all-format batter to have played the game. He has dominated every format to the fullest. The Delhi batter is the fourth-highest scorer in international cricket after Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, and Ricky Ponting.

Virat Kohli ODI Career

Kohli made his ODI Debut against Sri Lanka in August of 2008. He was also included in the squad for a series against England in 2008 but couldn’t get a chance to play. He played in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy in place of the injured Yuvraj Singh. Kohli scored his first ODI century in 2009 against Sri Lanka. In 2010, he played all the matches in the Asia Cup. During this time, Kohli struggled with his form and was unable to play big innings. Despite his bad form, Kohli was retained in the squad due to his batting skills. Kohli's form took an upward trajectory from the series against Australia in October 2010.

His good performance against the New Zealand cricket team in the following series made him a strong contender for the 2011 World Cup squad. He was the leading Indian run scorer in the ODI in 2010. During the series against South Africa in 2011, Kohli was named to the squad for the 2011 World Cup. He played every match in India’s World Cup winning campaign and also scored a century in the tournament and played a crucial role in the final match of the World Cup.

Kohli’s consistent performance continued after the World Cup and kept scoring runs. He was appointed the vice-captain of the squad for the 2012 Asia Cup. Kohli finished the tournament as the leading run score with 357 runs to his name at an average of 119. For his performances in 2012, Kohli was named in the World ODI XI by the ICC. In 2013, Kohli was part of the squad for the ICC Champions Trophy. Kohli batted well throughout India’s tournament-winning campaign and was named as part of the Team of the Tournament by the ICC.

In the seven-match ODI series against Australia in 2013, Kohli struck the fastest century by an Indian in ODI. He scored the century only in 52 balls. Kohli’s innings helped India chase down the target of 360 runs, in what was the second-highest successful run chase in ODI cricket.

At the end of the tournament, he moved to the top of the ICC ODI batsman rankings. Kohli amassed more runs in the subsequent series against South Africa and New Zealand. He scored 1054 runs ODI runs in 2014 and became the second player in the world after Sourav Ganguly to make more than 1,000 ODI runs for four consecutive calendar years.

In 2015, Kohli’s performance took a dip as he failed to cross the single-digit mark in any of the four games in the tri-nation ODI series between India, England, and Australia. Kohli failed to impress in the 2015 World Cup and was unable to score runs other than his century against the Pakistan cricket team in the first match of the World Cup. Kohli had a good start to 2016 as he scored two back-to-back half-centuries against Australia. During this series, he also became the fastest batsman to cross the 7000 runs mark. For his performances in 2016, Kohli was named the captain of the ICC World ODI XI.

Virat Kohli carried his good form to the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy as well. He reached the 8000 runs mark during the tournament but failed to help his team secure the Trophy as he got out for just five runs in the final against Pakistan. Kolhi continued his good performance in 2017 as he went on to hit centuries against West Indies and Sri Lanka in consecutive series. He ended the calendar year with 2818 international runs, the highest tally ever by an Indian player.

In South Africa in 2018, Kohli scored 558 runs in 6 ODIs, making the record for the highest runs scored in a bilateral ODI series. The same year, Kohli became the fastest player to score 10,000 ODI runs. In the 2019 World Cup, Kohli got himself two more records, the fastest batsman to score 11,000 ODI runs and the fastest cricketer to score 20,000 runs in international cricket.

During the ODI series against Australia, Kohli became the fastest player to reach 12,000 ODI runs. Kohli won the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award in 2023 as he surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most tons in ODI cricket by reaching the landmark 50th ODI ton and won the Player of the Tournament award in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 for scoring 765 runs at a staggering average of 95.62.

Virat Kohli Test Career

Kohli made his test debut against the West Indies in 2011. Kohli failed to impress in that series as he just managed to score 76 runs in five innings. When the West Indies toured India, Kolhi was included in the playing XI of the final match and with his half-century in the first innings, helped his team to avoid follow-on. Kohli was included in India’s Test squad for the tour of Australia in December 2011.

Also, see - Virat Kohli's Net Worth

His performance in the first two Tests of the series was poor as he struggled defensively. He started to regain some of his form in the third Test and went on to score his first Test century in the final Test match of the series. India lost the series 4-0 but Kohli emerged as the highest scorer from the Indian side.

In the home series against Australia, Kohli averaged 56.8 and team India completed a 4-0 series sweep. Kohli’s performance took a dip in the two-match Test series against West Indies as got out for 3 and 57. India toured South Africa in 2013 and played two Test matches. In the first match, Kohli scored 119 and 96 but failed to replicate this performance in the second Test as he managed to score only 46 and 11.

Kohli faired poorly in the Test series against England as he averaged just 13.40 in 10 innings as he was troubled particularly James Anderson’s swinging ball on the off stump line. In the first match of India’s tour of Australia in 2014, Kohli scored a century in the first match. In the Boxing Day match, Kohli was India’s highest scorer in both innings. Kohli also scored a hundred when the Indian team toured Sri Lanka in 2015. In the 2016 tour of the West Indies, Kohli scored 200 in the first Test of the series and helped India win the match by an innings and 92 runs.

He scored another double ton against New Zealand later that year. In the next two series against Bangladesh and England, Kohli managed to score double centuries and became the first batsman ever to score double centuries in four consecutive series. 

In the 2018 Test match series against the South Africa cricket team, Kolhi wasn’t able to replicate his stunning form from 2017 and had an average series. In the Test series against, Kohli scored his first century on English soil and went on to become the No.1-ranked Test batsman in the ICC ranking.

Kohli finished the England tour as the highest run-getter with 593 runs at an average of 59.30 although India lost the series 1-4. Under Kohli, India created history when they defeated Australia for the first time in their backyard 2-1.

Kohli gathered 282 runs from 7 innings of 4 test matches at an average of 40.28 with his highest score being 123 in the Perth Test. Kohli hit his Test career's seventh double century (254) against South Africa in the Pune Test of the 2019 series. Kohli scored 136 in the Day-Night Test at Eden Gardens against Bangladesh. It happens to be his last Test hundred as of October 2022.

Kohli played his 100th Test match against Sri Lanka in March 2022 in Mohali and was felicitated by head coach Rahul Dravid who presented him with a special cap for the milestone. Kohli returned to form in Test cricket with a magnificent 186 against Australia during the Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2023. He played in the World Test Championship Final 2023 but failed to make a mark as India lost to Australia. 

Virat Kohli T20I Career

Virat Kohli made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in 2010. Kohli scored his first T20I fifty against Sri Lanka in 2012. Kohli continued churning runs in T20 as he scored 185 runs, including two half-centuries in 5 matches at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20. For his excellent batting, Kohli was named in the ‘Team of the Tournament’ for the 2012 T20 World Cup.

In the next T20 World Cup in 2014, Kohli continued to be in top form and played what he considers his best T20 innings in the semi-final of the tournament. He scored 72 not out in 44 balls and helped India get into the final by reaching the target of 173 runs. He scored a total of 319 runs in the tournament, the most by an individual batsman in a single World Twenty20 tournament. He was awarded the Man of the Tournament award and was also included in the Team of the Tournament by the ICC.

During South Africa’s tour of India in 2015, Kohli crossed the 1,00 runs mark in T20I cricket and became the fastest batsman to do so. Kohli was in form coming into the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 and helped India get across in a must-win match against Australia by striking an unbeaten 82 from 51 balls. He ended the tournament with 273 runs in 5 matches earning him his second consecutive Man of the Tournament award at the World Twenty20.

Kohli scored 82 in the one-off T20I match against Sri Lanka at R. Premadasa Stadium in 2017.

In the 2019 bilateral series against West Indies, Kohli hit an unbeaten 94 to record his best score as T20I captain. He smashed another entertaining 70 in the final game to finish the series with a strike rate of 190.63.

Kohli scored 85 against Australia in the series-decider T20 match in 2020 in Sydney as India lifted the T20I series 2-1. He carried his tremendous run with the bat in a five-match series against England in early 2022, slamming 231 runs in five with the best score of 80 not out.

Kohli had a poor season in the 2021 T20 World Cup where he managed just 68 runs in three innings but 57 against Pakistan in the first game was appreciable.

He had a long battle in regaining his golden form in terms of scoring bug runs until he slammed 122* against Afghanistan in India's last game of Asia Cup 2022. The scintillating knock helped the star batter to push forward his case in the squad selection for the T20 World Cup 2022. Kohli once again proved why he is the best in business, as he played a lone-warrior innings for the ages against arch-rivals Pakistan, scoring 82* and taking India over the line in the ICC World T20 2022. He also finished as the tournament’s highest scorer with 296 runs. Kohli returned to the T20I setup after 14 months in a bilateral series against Afghanistan in January 2024. 

Virat Kohli Captaincy

Following his good performance against England and Pakistan at the Under-19 stage, Kohli was appointed the captain of the Under-19 team for the 2008 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. His all-round performance in the semi-final against New Zealand was crucial in winning the match. Kohli was commended for his brave tactical bowling changes throughout the tournament Indian National Team.

Kohli was named vice-captain for the first team for the tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in 2010 under Suresh Raina. He was again appointed as the vice-captain in 2012 for the Asia Cup in Bangladesh. Kohli's first ODI as a captain was in the first ODI of the triangular series in the West Indies where Sri Lanka was the third team to participate.

However, he was just a stand-in skipper in one of the tri-series games with his full-time captaincy assignment was the Zimbabwe tour in 2013. India whitewashed Zimbabwe 5-0 under Kohli. Kohli was named the captain of the 2014 Asia Cup and vice-captain of the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup.

India once again whitewashed a star-studded Sri Lanka 5-0 in the home ODI series in November 2014.

Kohli succeeded MS Dhoni as India's Test captain after the latter announced retirement after the Boxing Day Test at MCG in 2014.

Kohli’s first win as a Test captain came against Sri Lanka in 2015. In 2019, Kohli became the most successful Indian test captain after winning his 28th Test match as a captain. The 2017 Champions Trophy was Kohli’s first ICC tournament as a captain. For his excellent performances in 2017, Kolhi was named as captain of both World Test XI and ODI XI by the ICC.

With a 5-1 ODI series win against South Africa, Kohli became the first Indian captain to win an ODI series in South Africa. In 2018 also, Kohli was named as captain of both World Test XI and ODI XI by the ICC.

Under Kohli, India won their first-ever Test series in Australia during the 2018-19 Border Gavaskar Trophy. Kohli has led India in the 2019 World Cup, 2021 ICC Champions Trophy final, and 2021 T20 World Cup but was never successful in laying the hands on the elusive ICC trophies.

By January 2022, Kohli stepped down from India's captaincy in all formats following the 2-1 defeat to South Africa in Tests. Kohli led India in 68 Tests, 95 ODIs, and 50 T20 International matches and won 135 matches in all three formats. He is the most successful red-ball skipper in his country.

Kohli was made the vice-captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2011 season and also captained the team in some matches in the absence of Daniel Vettori. Following Vettori’s retirement at the end of the 2012 season, Kohli was appointed as the team’s captain for the 2013 season. Kohli managed to get his team to the final in the 2016 season but failed to lift the trophy.

Kohli replaced Daniel Vettori as captain of RCB in the middle of IPL 2012. Under Kohli, the team qualified three times in the playoffs with the only time coming close to the title in IPL 2016. David Warner's Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeated RCB by eight runs to clinch their maiden title. Kohli stepped down from RCB captaincy post-IPL 2021, citing workload management.

Virat Kohli Under 19 Career

Virat Kohli broke into the limelight by leading Team India to victory at the U-19 World Cup. India downed South Africa in the final. He was the second-highest run-scorer for the team, amassing 235 runs at an average of 47 and a strike rate of 94.75, and was the only Indian centurion in the tournament.

Virat Kohli's Family

Virat Kohli’s father, Prem Kohli worked as a criminal lawyer and his mother, Saroj Kohli, is a housewife. He has two older siblings, a brother, Vikas, and, a sister, Bhavna. Kohli’s father ensured that Virat got proper training in cricket and supported his cricket during his childhood. Virat lost his father in 2006 due to a stroke. 

Kohli tied the knot with Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma in 2017. In August 2020, Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma announced that they were going to be parents soon. Kohli took a paternity leave and missed the last three Test matches against Australia to attend the birth of his child. On January 11, 2021, Kohli and Anushka were blessed with a baby girl, whom they named Vamika. In early 2024, Kohli once again took a break from the India-England Test series, citing personal reasons. He announced the birth of his baby boy on February 15, who was named Akaay.

Virat Kohli’s Net Worth

Virat Kohli has an estimated net worth of INR 1050 crores or USD 127 million, as of 2024. He is among the richest sportspersons in the world and is third on the list of richest cricketers behind Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni.

Virat Kohli’s House

Virat Kohli lives in his Worli house in Mumbai (Maharashtra). He owns a bungalow in Gurugram (Haryana) as well.

Virat Kohli’s Cars

Virat Kohli owns an Audi A8L QW12 Quattro, an Audi R8 V10, an Audi R8 LMX Limited Edition, a Lamborghini Huracan, a Bentley Continental GT Mulliner, and a Bentley Flying Spur.

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