Virat Kohli (; born 5 November 1988) is an Indian international
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er and former captain of the
India national cricket team
The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a List of International Cricket Cou ...
. Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Kohli plays as a right-handed
batter for
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore (often abbreviated as RCB) are a franchise cricket team based in Bangalore, Karnataka, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It was founded in 2008 by United Spirits and named after the company's liquor b ...
in the
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...
and for
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
in domestic Indian cricket. With 40 wins out of 68 tests, Kohli is India's most successful test captain, and one of the most successful test captains of all time, behind only
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith (born 1 February 1981) is a South African cricket commentator and former cricketer who played for South Africa in all formats. In 2003, he was appointed captain of the national team, taking over from Shaun Pollock. He held th ...
,
Ricky Ponting and
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger Waugh (born 2 June 1965) is an Australian former international cricketer and twin brother of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a medium-pace bowler. As Australian captain from 1997 to 2004, he led Austral ...
.
Kohli made his Test debut in 2011. He reached the number one spot in the
ICC rankings for ODI batsmen for the first time in 2013.
He has won Man of the Tournament twice at the
ICC World Twenty20
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup (earlier known as ICC World Twenty20) is the international championship of Twenty20. Organised by cricket's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), the tournament consists of 16 teams, comprising t ...
(in
2014 and
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
). He is also the leading run scorer of all time in T20 Internationals as well as
T20 World Cups.
Kohli has been the recipient of multiple awards– most notably the
Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy
The Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy is a cricket trophy is awarded annually by the International Cricket Council to the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year. It is considered to be the most prestigious of the annual ICC Awards and was first awarded in 20 ...
(ICC Men's Cricketer of the Decade): 2011–2020;
Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy
The Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy is a cricket trophy is awarded annually by the International Cricket Council to the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year. It is considered to be the most prestigious of the annual ICC Awards and was first awarded in 20 ...
(ICC Cricketer of the Year) in 2017 and 2018;
ICC Test Player of the Year
The ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year is an annual award, presented since 2004 by the International Cricket Council to the best Test cricketer over the year in question. It is one of the annual ICC Awards.
Selection
The recipient of the annual ...
(2018);
ICC ODI Player of the Year
The ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year is an annual award presented since 2004 by the International Cricket Council to the best One Day International cricketer. It is one of the annual ICC Awards.
Selection
The recipient of the annual award i ...
(2012, 2017, 2018) and
Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World
The ''Wisden'' Leading Cricketer in the World is an annual cricket award selected by ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack''. It was established in 2004, to select the best cricketer based upon their performances anywhere in the world in the previous c ...
(2016, 2017 and 2018). At the national level, he was awarded the
Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
in 2013, the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
under the sports category in 2017
and the
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the highest sporting honour in India, in 2018.
In 2016, he was ranked as one of the world's most famous athletes by
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
and one of the most valuable athlete brands by ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
''.
In 2018, ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine named him as one of the
100 most influential people in the world. In 2020, he was ranked 66th in ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' list of the
top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world for the year 2020 with estimated earnings of over $26 million.
Early life
Virat Kohli was born on 5 November 1988 in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
into a
Punjabi Hindu
Punjabi Hindus are adherents of Hinduism who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis. While Punjabi Hindus are mostly found in the Indian state of Punjab today, many have ancestry from the greater Punjab regio ...
family.
His father, Prem Kohli, worked as a
criminal lawyer
A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various ...
and his mother, Saroj Kohli, is a homemaker.
He has an older brother, Vikas, and an older sister, Bhawna.
Kohli was raised in
Uttam Nagar
Uttam Nagar is a residential area situated in West Delhi. Uttam Nagar has the Pincode 110059.{{Cite web, title=Uttam Nagar S.O Pin Code 110059 West Delhi Delhi, url=https://pincodeindiafinder.in/p/uttam-nagar-so-110059-west-delhi-delhi.html, acc ...
and started his schooling at Vishal Bharti Public School.
In 1998, the
West Delhi Cricket Academy
Rajkumar Sharma is a cricket Coach (sport), coach and a former Ranji Trophy player. He was born in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh on 18 June 1965.
Sharma was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler. He represented Delhi in First Cl ...
was created and a nine-year-old Kohli was part of its first intake.
Kohli trained at the academy under coach
Rajkumar Sharma and also played matches at the
Sumeet Dogra Academy at
Vasundhara Enclave
Vasundhara Enclave is a residential area located in East Delhi
East Delhi is an administrative district of Delhi in India. It is bounded by the Yamuna River on the west, North East Delhi to the north, Ghaziabad District of Uttar Prades ...
at the same time.
In ninth grade, he shifted to Saviour Convent in
Paschim Vihar
Punjabi Bagh is a locality in Delhi, India. It also is one of the three sub-zones of West Delhi.
History
The land of nearby Madipur village was acquired by government of India for resettlement of refugees from Pakistan.It was previously call ...
to advance his cricket practice.
His family lived in
Meera Bagh
Meera Bagh is a residential colony in Paschim Vihar, which is situated in the western part of New Delhi, India. The colony has over 500 houses and is divided into 2 blocks, A and B, si ...
until 2015 when they moved to
Gurgaon
Gurgaon (pronunciation: ʊɽɡãːw, officially named Gurugram (pronunciation: ʊɾʊɡɾaːm, is a city located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest of the nationa ...
.
Kohli's father died on 18 December 2006 due to a
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
after being bed-ridden for a month.
According to Kohli, his father supported his cricket training during his childhood, "My father was my biggest support. He was the one who drove me to practice everyday. I miss his presence sometimes." His mother noted that:
Youth and domestic career
Delhi
Kohli first played for Delhi Under-15 team in October 2002 in the 2002–03
Polly Umrigar
Pahlan Ratanji "Polly" Umrigar (28 March 1926 – 7 November 2006) was an Indian cricketer. He played in Indian cricket team (1948- 1962) and played first-class cricket for Bombay and Gujarat. Umrigar played mainly as a middle-order batsman ...
Trophy. He became the captain of the team for the 2003–04 Polly Umrigar Trophy. In late 2004, he was selected in the Delhi Under-17 team for the 2003–04
Vijay Merchant
Vijay Singh Madhavji Merchant , real name Vijay Madhav Thackersey (12 October 1911 – 27 October 1987) was an Indian cricketer. A right-hand batter and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler, Merchant played first-class cricket for Bombay c ...
Trophy. Delhi Under-17s won the 2004–05 Vijay Merchant Trophy in which Kohli finished as the highest run-scorer with 757 runs from 7 matches with two centuries. In February 2006, he made his
List A debut for
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
against
Services
Service may refer to:
Activities
* Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty
* Civil service, the body of employees of a government
* Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a p ...
but did not get to bat.
Kohli made his
first-class debut for Delhi against
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
in November 2006, at the age of 18, he was dismissed for 10 runs in his debut innings. He came into the spotlight in December when he decided to play for his team against
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
on the day after his father's death and went on to score 90. He went directly to the funeral after he got out in the match. He scored a total of 257 runs from 6 matches at an average of 36.71 in that season.
India Under-19
In July 2006, Kohli was selected in the
India Under-19 squad on its tour of England. He averaged 105 in the three-match ODI series against
England Under-19s and 49 in the three-match Test series. India Under-19 went on to win both the series. In September, the India Under-19 team toured Pakistan. Kohli averaged 58 in the Test series and 41.66 in the ODI series against
Pakistan Under-19s.
In April 2007, Virat made his T20 debut and finished as the highest run-getter for his team in the
Inter-State T20 Championship with 179 runs at an average of 35.80. In July–August 2007, India Under-19 team toured Sri Lanka for the triangular series against
Sri Lanka Under-19s and
Bangladesh Under-19s, Kohli was the second highest run-getter with 146 runs at an average of 29 from 5 matches. In the two-match Test series that followed, he scored 244 runs at an average of 122 including a century and a fifty.
In February–March 2008, Kohli captained the victorious Indian team at the
2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup held in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. Batting at number 3, he
scored 235 runs in 6 matches at an average of 47 and finished as the tournament's third-highest run-getter and one of the three batsmen to score a century in that tournament.
His century (100 runs from 74 balls) against the
West Indies Under-19s in the group stage, which was called "the innings of the tournament" by ''
ESPNcricinfo
ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a ...
'', gave India a 50-run victory and earned Kohli the man of the match. He helped India in a three-wicket semi-final win over
New Zealand Under-19s by taking 2 wickets and scoring 43 runs in the run-chase and was awarded the man of the match.
He scored 19 against
South Africa Under-19s in the final which India won by 12 runs (courtesy to
D/L method).
In June 2008, Kohli and his Under-19 teammates
Pradeep Sangwan
Pradeep Sangwan (born 5 November 1990) is an Indian cricketer, who represents Delhi in first-class cricket.
Career
Sangwan is a left-arm medium pace bowler. He is quite handy with the bat as well. In Twenty20s he has achieved an average of 11. ...
and
Tanmay Srivastava
Tanmay Manoj Srivastava (born 7 November 1989) is an Indian former cricketer. Srivastava was a member of the Indian U-19 cricket team that won the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup tournament played in Malaysia. He scored 262 runs in six matches in t ...
were awarded the Border-Gavaskar scholarship. The scholarship allowed the three players to train for six weeks at
Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence in Brisbane.
He was also picked in the squad of India Emerging Players for the four-team Emerging Players Tournament and scored 206 runs in six matches at an average of 41.20.
Early international career
In August 2008, Kohli was included in the Indian ODI squad for
tour of Sri Lanka and the
Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Prior to the Sri Lankan tour, Kohli had played only eight
List A matches. So, his selection was called a "surprise call-up". During the Sri Lankan tour, as both
first-choice openers
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-scor ...
and
Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag (born 20 October 1978) is a former Indian cricketer who represented India from 1999 to 2013. Widely regarded as one of the most destructive opener, he played for Delhi Capitals in IPL and Delhi and Haryana in Indian domestic c ...
were injured, Kohli batted as a makeshift opener throughout the series. He made his international debut at the age of 19 in the first ODI of that tour and was dismissed on the score of 12 runs.
In the same series he scored his first ODI half century, a score of 54 in the fourth match.
After the postponement of the Champions Trophy to 2009, Kohli was picked as a replacement for the injured
Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan (born 5 December 1985) is an Indian cricketer. Being a left-handed opening batsman and occasional captain of the India national cricket team, he captains Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League and plays for Delhi in first-class ...
in the
India A
The India A cricket team is a national cricket team representing India. It is the second-tier of Indian international cricket, below the full India national cricket team. The team is currently captained by Priyank Panchal in first-class cricket a ...
squad for the unofficial Tests against
Australia A in September 2008.
Kohli, after recovering from a minor shoulder injury, returned to the national team replacing the injured
Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir (; born 14 October 1981) is an Indian politician and former cricketer, who has played all formats of the game. He is a current member of the Lok Sabha since 2019. He received the Padma Shri from the Government of India in 2019, t ...
in the Indian squad for the
tri-series in Sri Lanka. He batted at number 4 for India in the
2009 ICC Champions Trophy
The 2009 ICC Champions Trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in South Africa between 22 September and 5 October, at Wanderers Stadium and Centurion Park, both in the Gauteng province. Originally, the tournament was scheduled ...
as
Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh (born 12 December 1981) is a former Indian international cricketer who played in all formats of the game. He is an all-rounder who batted left-handed in the middle order and bowled slow left-arm orthodox . He has won 7 Player of ...
suffered from an injury. He found a place in the
home ODI series against Sri Lanka in December 2009 and scored 27 and 54 in the first two ODIs before making way for Yuvraj who regained fitness for the third ODI. However, Yuvraj's finger injury reoccurred leading to him being ruled out indefinitely. Kohli returned to the team in the fourth ODI at Kolkata and scored his maiden ODI century–107 off 114 balls–sharing a 224-run partnership for the third wicket with Gambhir.
India won by seven wickets to seal the series 3–1.
Tendulkar was rested for the
tri-nation ODI tournament in Bangladesh in January 2010, which enabled Kohli to play in each of India's five matches. During this series he became only the third Indian batsman to score two ODI centuries before their 22nd birthday. Kohli was much praised for his performances during the series as the leading run scorer of the series with 275 runs from five innings at an average of 91.66.
Rise through the ranks
![Virat Kohli Batting](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Virat_Kohli_Batting.jpg)
Kohli's first foray into leadership on an international level was when he was made vice-captain for the
tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe in May–June 2010, this came about as many more established players were rested for the tour. Kohli made 168 runs at an average of 42.00 including two fifties,. During the series, Kohli became the fastest Indian batsman to reach 1,000 runs in ODI cricket. He made his International T20 debut against Zimbabwe at Harare and scored an unbeaten 26.
Later that month, Kohli batted at 3 in an Indian team throughout the
2010 Asia Cup and scored a total of 67 runs at an average of 16.75. His struggles with form continued in the
tri-series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Sri Lanka where he averaged 15.
Despite his poor run of form, Kohli was retained in the ODI squad for a
three-match series against Australia in October, and in the only completed match of the series at Visakhapatnam,he scored his third ODI century.
Winning the man of the match, he admitted that he was under pressure to keep his place in the team after failures in the previous two series. During
the home ODI series against New Zealand, Kohli scored a match winning century in the first match, this was his fourth ODI hundred and second in succession.
Indian team was victorious with 5–0
whitewash
Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime ( calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk calcium carbonate, (CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes used ...
over New Zealand, while Kohli's performances in the series helped him establish his position in the ODI team and made him a strong contender for a spot in India's World Cup squad. He was India's leading run scorer in ODIs in 2010, with 995 runs from 25 matches at an average of 47.38 including three centuries and seven fifties.
Kohli was India's leading run scorer in the five-match ODI series of the
South African tour
The Sunshine Tour is a men's professional golf tour based in Southern and East Africa. For much of its early history it was known either as the South African Tour or Sunshine Circuit; through sponsorship deals, it has also been known as the Vo ...
in January 2011, with 193 runs including two fifties, both in Indian defeats. During the series, he jumped to number two spot on the
ICC Rankings for Men's ODI batters,
and was named in India's 15-man
squad for the World Cup.
Kohli played in every match of India's successful World Cup campaign. He scored an unbeaten 100 in the first match against Bangladesh and became the first Indian batsman to score a century on World Cup debut. In the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
against Sri Lanka at Mumbai, he scored 35, sharing an 83 runs partnership with Gambhir for the third wicket after India had lost both openers within seven overs while chasing 275.
Consistent performances in international cricket
Breakthrough in Test cricket
When
India toured the West Indies in June–July 2011, they selected a largely inexperienced squad, resting Tendulkar while others such as
Gambhir and
Sehwag missed out due to injuries. Kohli was one of three uncapped players in the Test squad. He found success in the ODI series with a total of 199 runs at an average of 39.80 helping India in 3–2 win over West Indies . His best efforts came in the second ODI at
Port of Spain
Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...
where he won the man of the match for his score of 81 which gave India a seven-wicket victory
and the fifth ODI at Kingston where his innings of 94 came in a seven-wicket defeat.
Kohli made his Test debut at
Kingston in the first match of the Test series that followed. He batted at 5th position and was dismissed on scores of 4 and 15, caught behind off the bowling of
Fidel Edwards
Fidel Henderson Edwards (born 6 February 1982) is a Barbadian cricketer, who plays all formats of the game. A pace bowler, his round-arm action is "not unlike" that of former fast bowler Jeff Thomson. He was spotted in the nets by Brian Lara and ...
in both innings.
India went on to win the Test series 1–0 but Kohli amassed just 76 runs from five innings, struggling against the short ball.
Initially got dropped from the Test squad for India's
four-match series in England in July and August due to poor performance in his debut series. However Kohli was recalled as a replacement for the injured
Yuvraj
Yuv(a)raj(a) (Sanskrit: युवराज) is an Indian title for the crown prince, and the heir apparent to the throne of an Indian (notably Hindu) kingdom or (notably in the Mughal Empire or British Raj) princely state. It is usually applied t ...
, though he did not get to play in any match of that series. He found moderate success in the subsequent ODI series in which he averaged 38.80. His score of 55 in the first ODI at
Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street (), also known as Chester, is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England, around north of Durham and also close to Sunderland and Newcastle upon Tyne. It is located on the River Wear, which runs out to sea at ...
was followed by a string of low scores in the next three matches.
In the last game of the series at
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, Kohli scored his sixth ODI hundred–107 runs off 93 balls–and shared 170 runs partnership with
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Sharad Dravid (; born 11 January 1973) is an Indian cricket coach and former captain of the Indian national team, currently serving as its head coach. Prior to his appointment to the senior men's national team, Dravid was the Head of ...
for the third wicket, who was playing his last ODI match. Kohli was dismissed
hit wicket
Hit wicket is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is governed by Law 35 of the Laws of Cricket. The striker is out "hit wicket" if, after the bowler has entered his delivery stride and while the ball is in pla ...
in that innings .It was the only century in the series by any player of either team and earned him praise for his "hard work" and "maturity".
In October 2011, Kohli was the leading run scorer of the
five-match home ODI series against England which India won 5–0. He scored a total of 270 runs across five matches at an average of 90. This included unbeaten knock of 112 from 98 balls at
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, where he put on an unbroken 209 run partnership with Gambhir.
Followed by innings of 86 at
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, both the knocks came in successful run chases.
Owing to his ODI success, Kohli was included in the Test squad to
face the West Indies in November. He was selected in the final match of the series at Mumbai in which he scored a pair of fifties. India won the subsequent ODI series 4–1 in which Kohli managed to accumulate 243 runs at 60.75. During the series, Kohli scored his eighth ODI century and his second at
Visakhapatnam
, image_alt =
, image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura (S20), INS ...
, where he made 117 off 123 balls in India's run chase of 270.
A knock which raised his reputation as "an expert of the chase". Kohli ended up as the leading run-getter in ODIs for the year 2011, with 1381 runs from 34 matches at 47.62 including four centuries and eight fifties.
During
tour of Australia in December 2011, Kohli failed to go past 25 in the first two Tests, as his defensive technique was exposed. While fielding on the boundary during the second day of the second match at
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, he gestured to the crowd with his
middle finger
The middle finger, long finger, second finger, third finger, toll finger or tall man is the third digit of the human hand, located between the index finger and the ring finger. It is typically the longest digit. In anatomy, it is also calle ...
for which he was fined 50% of his match fee by the
match referee. He top scored in each of India's innings in the third Test at
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
with scores of 44 and 75, even as India got their second consecutive innings defeat. In the fourth and final match at
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, Kohli scored his maiden Test century of 116 runs in the first innings. India suffered a 0–4 whitewash and Kohli, India's top run-scorer in the series was described as "the lone bright spot in an otherwise nightmare visit for the tourists".
Excellence in ODIs
In the first seven matches of the
Commonwealth Bank triangular series that India played against hosts Australia and Sri Lanka, Kohli made two fifties–77 at Perth and 66 at Brisbane,both against Sri Lanka.
Being set a target of 321 by Sri Lanka, Kohli came to the crease with India's score at 86/2 and went on to score 133 not out from 86 balls to take India to a comfortable win with 13 overs to spare.
India earned a bonus point with the win and Kohli was named Man of the Match for his knock. Former Australian cricketer and commentator
Dean Jones rated Kohli's innings as "one of the greatest ODI knocks of all time". However, Sri Lanka beat Australia three days later in their last group fixture and knocked India out of the series. With 373 runs at 53.28, Kohli finished as India's highest run-scorer and lone centurion of the series.
![Virat Kohli 26 Feb 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Virat_Kohli_26_Feb_2012.jpg)
Kohli was appointed the vice-captain for the
2012 Asia Cup in Bangladesh on the back of his fine performances in Australia. Kohli was in fine form during the tournament, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 357 runs at an average of 119. He scored 108 in the first match against Sri Lanka leading India to 50 runs victory.
India lost their next match to Bangladesh in which he made 66.
In the final group stage match against Pakistan, he scored his personal best of 183 from 148 balls, his 11th ODI century. He helped India to chase down 330, their highest successful ODI run chase at the time.
His knock was the highest individual score in Asia Cup history surpassing previous record of 144 by
Younis Khan
Mohammad Younis Khan PP SI (Urdu: ; Pashto: ; born 29 November 1977) is a Pakistani professional cricket coach and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team in all three formats of the game, and is widely regarded as ...
in 2004 and the joint second highest score along with Dhoni in an ODI run-chase.It also became the highest individual score against Pakistan in ODIs. Kohli was awarded the man of the match in both the matches that India won
nonetheless India could not progress to the final of the tournament.
In July–August 2012, Kohli struck two centuries in the
five-match ODI tour of Sri Lanka ,106 off 113 balls at Hambantota and 128* off 119 balls at Colombo, winning man of the match in both games.
India won the series 4–1 and Kohli was named player of the series.
In the one-off T20I that followed, he scored a 48 ball 68, his first T20I fifty, and yet again won the player of the series award.
Kohli scored his second Test century at Bangalore during
New Zealand's tour of India and won man of the match for his century.
India won the two match series 2–0 and Kohli averaged 106 that includes a hundred and two fifties from three innings.
In the subsequent T20I series, he scored 70 runs off 41 balls but India lost the match by one run and the series 1–0. He continued to be in good form during the
2012 ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, with 185 runs he was highest run-getter among Indian batsmen. He hit two fifties during the tournament, against
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
and
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, winning man of the match for both his innings.
For his performances he was named in the ICC 'Team of the Tournament'.
Kohli's Test form dipped during the first three matches of
England's tour of India, between October 2012 and January 2013, with a top score of 20 and England leading the series 2–1.
He scored a patient 103 from 295 balls in the last match.
However, the match ended in a draw and England won their first Test series in India in 28 years.
Against Pakistan in December 2012, Kohli averaged 18 in the T20Is and 4.33 in the ODIs. Troubled by the fast bowlers, particularly
Junaid Khan Junaid Khan may refer to:
* Junaid Khan (de facto ruler of Khiva), political leader in the Khanate of Khiva and the Basmachi movement
*Junaid Khan (cricketer), Pakistani cricketer
*Junaid Khan (actor)
Junaid Khan (born as Junaid Khan Niazi 2 ...
who dismissed him on all three occasions in the ODI series. Kohli had a quiet ODI series against England, apart from a match-winning 77* in the third ODI
with a total of 155 runs at an average of 38.75.
Kohli scored his fourth Test century (107) at Chennai in the first match of the
home Test series against Australia in February 2013.
India completed a 4–0 series sweep, becoming the first team to whitewash Australia in more than four decades. Kohli averaged 56.80 in the series .
In June 2013, Kohli featured in the
ICC Champions Trophy
The ICC Champions Trophy is a One-Day International (ODI) cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council. The 2013 tournament was intended to be the final edition of the Champions Trophy, but it was extended to 2017 due to i ...
in England which India won. He scored a 144 against Sri Lanka in warm-up match. He scored 31, 22 and 22* in India's group matches against South Africa, West Indies and Pakistan respectively.
In sync India qualified for the semi-finals with an undefeated record. In the semi-final against Sri Lanka at Cardiff, he struck 58* in an eight-wicket win for India.
The
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
between India and England at Birmingham was reduced to 20 overs after a rain delay. India batted first and Kohli top-scored with 43 from 34 ball, helping India reach 129/7 in 20 overs. India went on to secure a five run win and their second consecutive ICC ODI tournament victory. He was also named as part of the 'Team of the Tournament' by the ICC.
Setting records
![Virat Kohli batting 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Virat_Kohli_batting_2013.jpg)
Kohli stood in as the captain for the first ODI of the
triangular series in the West Indies after Dhoni injured himself during the match. India lost the match by one wicket and Dhoni was subsequently ruled out of the series with Kohli being named the captain for the remaining matches. In his second match as captain, Kohli scored his first century as captain, making 102 off 83 balls against the West Indies at Port of Spain in a bonus point win for India.
Many senior players including Dhoni were rested for the
five-match ODI tour of Zimbabwe in July 2013. Kohli was therefore appointed as captain for an entire series .
In the first game of the series at Harare, he struck 115 runs from 108 balls, helping India chase down the target of 229 and winning the man of the match award.
He batted on two more occasions in the series in which he had scores of 14 and 68*.
India completed a 5–0 sweep of the series; their first in an away ODI series.
Kohli had a successful time with the bat in the
seven-match ODI series against Australia. After top-scoring with 61 in the opening loss at Pune, he struck the fastest century by an Indian in ODIs in the second match at Jaipur. Reaching the milestone in just 52 balls and putting up an unbroken 186 run partnership for second wicket with
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Gurunath Sharma (born 30 April 1987) is an Indian international cricketer and the current captain of the Indian cricket team. Widely considered as one of the best opening batter of all time, he plays as a right-handed batsman for Mu ...
, that came in 17.2 overs. Kohli's innings of 100* helped India chase down the target of 360 with more than six overs to spare. This chase was the
second-highest successful run-chase in ODI cricket at the time while Kohli's knock became the fastest century against Australia and third fastest in a run chase.
He followed that innings with 68 in the next match at Mohali in another Indian defeat. In the sixth ODI at Nagpur, he struck 115 off only 66 balls to help India successfully chase the target of 351 and level the series 2–2 .
He reached the tiple-digit figure in 61 balls, making it the third fastest ODI century by an Indian batsman subsequently became the fastest batsman in the world to score 17 hundreds in ODI cricket. India clinched the series after winning the last match in which he was run out for a duck. At the conclusion of the series, Kohli moved to the top position in the
ICC ODI batsmen rankings for the first time in his career.
Kohli batted twice in the
two-match Test series against the West Indies, and had scores of 3 and 57 . This was also the last Test series for Tendulkar and Kohli was expected to take Tendulkar's number 4 batting position after the series.
In the first game of the three-match ODI series that followed at Kochi, Kohli made 86 to seal a six wicket win and won the man of the match.
He missed out on his third century at Visakhapatnam in the next match, after being dismissed for 99 while playing a
hook shot
In basketball, a hook shot is a play in which the offensive player, usually turned perpendicular to the basket, gently throws the ball with a sweeping motion of the arm farther from the basket in an upward arc with a follow-through which ends ov ...
off
Ravi Rampaul
Ravindranath Rampaul (born 15 October 1984) is a Trinidadian cricketer. Rampaul has played for Trinidad and Tobago cricket team, Trinidad and Tobago in domestic cricket, in the Indian Premier League for Royal Challengers Bangalore, and in Englis ...
.
India lost the match by two wickets,
but took the series 2–1 after winning the last match at Kanpur.
With 204 runs at 68.00, Kohli finished the series as the leading run-getter and was awarded the man of the series.
2013–14 overseas season
![2015 CWC I v UAE 02-28 Kohli (12) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/2015_CWC_I_v_UAE_02-28_Kohli_%2812%29_%28cropped%29.JPG)
India
toured South Africa in December 2013 for three ODIs and two Tests. Kohli averaged 15.50 in the ODIs including a duck. In the first Test at Johannesburg, playing his first Test in South Africa and batting at 4 for the first time,
Kohli scored 119 and 96. His hundred was the first by a subcontinent batsman at the venue since 1998. The match ended in a draw and Kohli was awarded man of the match.
India failed to win a single match on the tour, losing the second Test by 10 wickets in which he made 46 and 11.
During
New Zealand tour, he averaged 58.21 in the five-match ODI series in which his all efforts went in vain as India were defeated 4–0. He made 214 runs at 71.33 in the two-match Test series that followed including an unbeaten 105 on the last day of the second Test at Wellington that helped India save the match.
India then traveled to Bangladesh for the
Asia Cup and World Twenty20. Dhoni was ruled out of the Asia Cup after suffering a
side strain during the New Zealand tour, which led to Kohli being named the captain for the tournament. Kohli scored 136 off 122 balls in India's opening match against Bangladesh, sharing a 213 run third wicket stand with
Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Madhukar Rahane (born 6 June 1988) is an Indian international cricketer and former captain of Indian team in all formats, who has played for Indian cricket team in all formats as a batsman. He currently captains Mumbai in Ranji trophy. R ...
, which helped India successfully chase 280.
It was his 19th ODI century and his fifth in Bangladesh, making him the batsman with most ODI centuries in Bangladesh. India were knocked out of the tournament after narrow losses against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in which Kohli scored 48 and 5 respectively.
Dhoni returned from injury to captain the team for
2014 ICC World Twenty20
The 2014 ICC World Twenty20 was the fifth ICC World Twenty20 competition, an international Twenty20 cricket tournament, that took place in Bangladesh from 16 March to 6 April 2014. It was played in three cities — Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet. Th ...
and Kohli was named vice-captain. He scored 54 off 41 balls in the game against West Indies and an unbeaten 57 from 50 balls against Bangladesh, both in successful run chases.
In the semi-final, he made an unbeaten 72 in 44 deliveries to help India achieve the target of 173.
He won the man of the match for this knock. In the final against Sri Lanka India posted the target of 130/4 in which Kohli top scored 77 from 58 balls. Notwithstanding India lost the match by six wickets.
Kohli made a total of 319 runs in the tournament at an average of 106.33, a record for most runs by an individual batsman in a single
World Twenty20
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup (earlier known as ICC World Twenty20) is the international championship of Twenty20. Organised by cricket's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), the tournament consists of 16 teams, comprising t ...
tournament. For his achievement he won the Man of the Tournament award.
India conceded a 3–1 defeat in the
five-match Test series against England. Kohli failed poorly in the series averaging just 13.40 in 10 innings scoring 134 runs overall with a top score of 39. It was a nightmare tour for him as he was dismissed for single-digit scores on six occasions in the series and was particularly susceptible to the
swinging ball on
off stump line, being dismissed several times edging the ball to the
wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a catch, stump the batsman out and run out a batsman when occasion arises. Th ...
or
slip fielders. Man of the series
James Anderson James Anderson may refer to:
Arts
*James Anderson (American actor) (1921–1969), American actor
*James Anderson (author) (1936–2007), British mystery writer
*James Anderson (English actor) (born 1980), British actor
* James Anderson (filmmaker) ...
got Kohli's wicket four times while Kohli's batting technique was questioned by analysts and former cricketers. India won the ODI series that followed 3–1, but Kohli's struggles with the bat continued as he averaged 18 in four innings. In the one-off T20I, he scored 41-ball 66, his first fifty plus score of the tour. India lost the match by three runs, but Kohli reached the number one spot for T20I batsmen in the ICC rankings.
Kohli had a successful time during India's
home ODI series win over the West Indies in October 2014. His 62 in the second ODI at Delhi was his first fifty across Tests and ODIs in 16 innings since February and he stated that he got his "confidence back" with the innings. He struck his 20th ODI hundred by scoring 127 runs off 114 balls in the fourth match at Dharamsala. India registered a 59-run victory and Kohli was awarded man of the match.
Dhoni was rested for the
five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in November enabling Kohli to lead the team for another full series. Kohli batted at 4 throughout the series and made scores of 22, 49, 53 and 66 in the first four ODIs with India leading the series 4–0. In the fifth ODI at Ranchi, he made an unbeaten 139 off 126 balls to give his team a three-wicket win and a whitewash of Sri Lanka.
Kohli was awarded player of the series and it was the second whitewash under his captaincy. During the series he became the fastest batter in the world to go past the 6000-run mark in ODIs at the time. With 1054 ODI runs at 58.55 in 2014, he became the second player in the world after
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (; natively spelled as Gangopadhyay; born 8 July 1972), affectionately known as Dada (meaning ''"elder brother"'' in Bengali), is an Indian cricket administrator, commentator and former national cricket team captain w ...
to make more than 1,000 runs in ODIs for four consecutive calendar years.
Captaincy
Australia tour of 2014–15
![VIRAT KHOLI & DUNCAN FLETCHER (15573134813)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/VIRAT_KHOLI_%26_DUNCAN_FLETCHER_%2815573134813%29.jpg)
For the first Test of the
Australian tour in December 2014,
Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (; born 7 July 1981) is an Indian former international cricketer who was captain of the Indian national cricket team in limited-overs formats from 2007 to 2017 and in Test cricket from 2008 to 2014. He is also the curren ...
was not part of the Indian team at Adelaide due to an injury and Kohli took the reins as Test captain for the first time. Kohli scored 115 in India's first innings, becoming the fourth Indian to score a hundred on Test captaincy debut. In their second innings, India were set a target of 364 to be scored on the fifth day. Kohli put on 185 runs for the third wicket with
Murali Vijay
Murali Vijay (born 1 April 1984) is an Indian international cricketer who plays as a right-handed opening batsman. He was a regular member of the Indian Test team until 2018 and plays for Tamil Nadu in domestic first-class cricket.
After fail ...
before Vijay's dismissal, which triggered a batting collapse. From 242/2, India was bowled out for 315 with Kohli's 141 off 175 balls being the top score.
Dhoni returned to the team as captain for the second match at Brisbane where Kohli scored 19 and 1 in a four-wicket defeat for India.
In the Melbourne
Boxing Day Test
The Boxing Day Test match is a cricket Test match held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, involving the Australian cricket team and an opposing national team that is touring Australia during the southern summer. It begins annually on Boxing ...
, he made his personal best Test score(of that time) of 169 in the first innings while sharing a 262 runs partnership with Rahane that was India's biggest partnership outside Asia in ten years. Kohli followed it with a score of 54 in India's second innings on the fifth day helping his team draw the Test match.
Dhoni announced his retirement from Test cricket at the conclusion of this match and Kohli was appointed as the full-time Test captain ahead of the fourth Test at Sydney. Captaining the Test team for the second time, Kohli hit 147 in the first innings of the match and became the first batsman in Test cricket history to score three hundreds in his first three innings as Test captain.
He was dismissed for 46 in the second innings and the match ended in a draw. Kohli's total of 692 runs in four Tests was the most by any Indian batsman in a Test series in Australia.
In January 2015, India failed to win a single match in the
tri-nation ODI series against the hosts Australia and England. Kohli was unable to replicate his Test success in ODIs, failing to make a two-digit score in any of the four games.
Kohli's ODI form did not improve in the lead-up to the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
, with scores of 18 and 5 in the warm-up matches against Australia and Afghanistan respectively.
In the first match of the World Cup against Pakistan at Adelaide, Kohli hit 107 in 126 balls. For his knock, he was awarded the man of the match award.
Kohli also became first Indian batsman to score a century against Pakistan in a World Cup match. He was dismissed for 46 in India's second match against South Africa. India went on to register a 130-run victory in the match. India batted second in their remaining four group matches in which Kohli scored 33*, 33, 44* and 38 against
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
, West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe respectively.
India went on to secure wins in these four fixtures and top the Pool B points with an undefeated record. In India's 109-run victory in the quarter-final over Bangladesh, Kohli was dismissed by
Rubel Hossain
Mohammad Rubel Hossain ( bn, মোহাম্মদ রুবেল হোসেন; born 01 Jan 1990) is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He made his international debut for Bangladesh in January 2009 aged 19. He has the highest bowling average of ...
for 3 runs edging the ball to the wicket-keeper. India was eliminated in the semi-final by Australia at Melbourne, where Kohli was dismissed for 1 off 13 balls.
After 2015 Cricket World Cup
Kohli had a slump in form when India
toured Bangladesh in June 2015. He contributed only 14 in the one-off Test which ended in a draw and averaged 16.33 in the ODI series which Bangladesh won 2–1. Kohli ended his streak of low scores by scoring his 11th Test hundred in the first Test of the
Sri Lankan tour which India lost. India won the next two matches to seal the series 2–1, Kohli's first series win as Test captain and India's first away Test series win in four years.
During
South Africa's tour of India, Kohli became the fastest batsman in the world at that time to make 1,000 runs in T20I cricket, reaching the milestone in his 27th innings.
In the ODI series, he made a century in the fourth ODI at Chennai that helped India win and level the series.
India lost the series after a defeat in the final ODI and Kohli finished the series with an average of 49. India came back to beat the top ranked South African team 3–0 in the four-match Test series under Kohli's captaincy, and climbed to number two position on the ICC Test rankings. Virat scored a total of 200 runs in the series at 33.33.
Kohli started 2016 with scores of 91 and 59 in the first two ODIs of the
limited-overs tour of Australia. He followed it up with a pair of hundreds, a run-a-ball 117 at Melbourne and 106 from 92 balls at Canberra. During the course of the series he became the fastest batsman in the world to cross the 7000-run mark in ODIs, getting to the milestone in his 161st innings and the fastest to get to 25 centuries. After the ODI series ended in a 1–4 loss, the Indian team came back to whitewash the Australians 3–0 in the T20I series. Kohli made fifties in all three T20Is with scores of 90*,
59*
and 50, winning two man of the matches as well as the man of the series award.
He was also instrumental in India winning the
Asia Cup in Bangladesh the following month in which he scored 49 in a run-chase of 84 against Pakistan
followed by an unbeaten 56 against Sri Lanka and 41 not out in the Final against Bangladesh.
Kohli maintained his good form in the
2016 ICC World Twenty20
The 2016 ICC World Twenty20 was the sixth edition of the ICC World Twenty20, the world championship of Twenty20 International cricket. It was held in India from 8 March to 3 April 2016, and was the first edition to be hosted by India.
Seven ...
in India, scoring 55* in another successful run-chase against Pakistan.
He struck an unbeaten 82 from 51 balls in India's must-win group match against Australia in "an innings of sheer class" with "clean cricket shots".
It helped India win by six wickets and register a spot in the semi-final. In the semi-final, Kohli top scored with an unbeaten 89 from 47 deliveries, but West Indies overhauled India's total of 192 and ended India's campaign. His total of 273 runs in five matches at an average of 136.50 earned him his second consecutive Man of the Tournament award at the World Twenty20.
He was named as captain of the 'Team of the Tournament' for the 2016 World Twenty20 by the ICC.
Playing his first Test in the West Indies since his debut series, Kohli scored 200 in the
first Test
''First Test'', is a fantasy novel by Tamora Pierce, the first book in the series ''Protector of the Small''. It details the first year of Keladry of Mindelan's training as a page of Tortall.
Plot introduction
''Protector of the Small'' is set ...
at Antigua to ensure an innings-and-92-run win for India, their biggest win ever outside of Asia. It was his first double hundred in first-class cricket and the first made away from home by an Indian captain in Tests. India went on to wrap the series 2–0 and briefly top the ICC Test Rankings before being displaced by Pakistan at the position. He scored another double hundred, 211 at Indore in the third Test
against New Zealand as India's 3–0 whitewash victory saw them regain the top position in the ICC Test Rankings. In the subsequent ODI series, Kohli set up two wins for India batting second with unbeaten knocks of 85 and 154.
He then made 65 in the series-deciding fifth game at Visakhapatnam which India won.
Kohli got double centuries in the next two Test series against England and Bangladesh, making him the first batsman ever to score double centuries in four consecutive series. He broke the record of Australian great
Donald Bradman and Rahul Dravid, both of whom had managed to get three. Against England, he got his then-highest Test score of 235.
Champions trophy and thereafter
Virat Kohli got the chance to captain in an ICC tournament for the first time in the
2017 ICC Champions Trophy. In the semi-final against Bangladesh, Kohli scored 96* and became the fastest batsman in terms of innings to reach 8,000 runs in ODIs in 175 innings. India reached the final, but lost to Pakistan by 180 runs. In the third over of Indian innings, Virat Kohli was dropped in the slips for just five runs but caught the next ball by
Shadab Khan
Shadab Khan (Urdu, Punjabi: شاداب خان) is a Pakistani international cricketer who plays for and vice-captains the Pakistan cricket team in limited overs cricket. He captains Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and N ...
at point on the bowling of
Mohammad Amir
Mohammad Amir ( ur, ; born 13 April 1992) is a Pakistani cricketer and bowler for the Pakistan national cricket team. He is playing as a left-arm fast-medium bowler and uses his left hand when batting.
Amir made his first-class debut in N ...
. He was also named as part of the 'Team of the Tournament' at the 2017 Champions Trophy by the ICC.
He carried on his form with ODI centuries against the West Indies and Sri Lanka in consecutive series, equalling
Ricky Ponting's tally of 30 ODI centuries.
In October 2017, he was adjudged the ODI player of the series against New Zealand for scoring two ODI centuries, during the course of which he made a new record for the most runs (8,888), best average (55.55) and highest number of centuries (31) for any batsman when completing 200 ODIs.
Kohli made several more records during the
3 match Test series against Sri Lanka at home in November. After scoring a century and a double century in the first two Tests, he ended up scoring yet another double century in the third Test during which he became the eleventh Indian batsman to surpass 5000 runs in Test cricket while scoring his 20th Test century and 6th double century. During this match he also became the first batsman to score six double hundreds as a captain. With 610 runs in the series, Kohli also became the highest run-scorer by an Indian in a three-match Test series and the fourth-highest overall.
India comfortably won the three-match series 1–0 and Kohli was adjudged man of the match for the second and third Test matches and player of the series. With this win, India equaled Australia for the record streak of nine consecutive series wins in Test cricket. He ended the year with 2818 international runs, which is recorded as the third-highest tally ever in a calendar year and the highest tally ever by an Indian player.
The ICC named Kohli as captain of both their World Test XI and ODI XI for 2017.
![Virat Kohli after his century at Trent Bridge (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Virat_Kohli_after_his_century_at_Trent_Bridge_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Kohli farely average in the Test matches as India lost 1–2 during the
South Africa tour in 2018 but came back strongly to score 558 runs in the 6 ODIs making a record for the highest runs scored in a bilateral ODI series. This included three centuries, remaining unbeaten in two with a best of 160*. India won the ODI series 5–1and Kohli became the first Indian captain to win an ODI series in South Africa.
In March 2018, Kohli showed interest to county cricket in England in June in order to improve his batting before the start of
India's tour to England the following month.
He signed to play for
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
but a neck injury ruled him out of his stint in England before it even began. On 2 August, Kohli scored his first Test century on English soil in the first test match of the series against England. On 5 August, Kohli displaced
Steve Smith Stephen, Steve, Stevie, or Steven Smith may refer to:
Academics
* Steve Smith (political scientist) (born 1952), British international relations theorist and senior university manager
* Stephen Smith (journalist) (born 1956), American journalist, ...
to become the No. 1 ranked Test batsman in the ICC Test rankings. He also became the seventh Indian batsman and first since Sachin Tendulkar in June 2011 to achieve this feat. In the third test at
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nottingham. Trent Bridge is also ...
,
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
, Kohli scored 97 and 103 and helped India win by 203 runs. At the end of 5-match test series, Kohli scored 593 runs which was third highest runs by an Indian batsman in a losing test series. Kohli's consistent performance in the series against the moving ball when other batsman failed to perform was hailed by
British Media
There are several different types of mass media in the United Kingdom: television, radio, newspapers, magazines and websites. The United Kingdom is known for its large music industry, along with its new and upcoming artists. The country also has a ...
as one of his finest. ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' describes Kohli's batting display as ''One of the Greatest batting display in a losing cause''.
![Virat Kohli at Greenfield Stadium 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Virat_Kohli_at_Greenfield_Stadium_1.11.2018.jpg)
During ODI series
against West Indies in 2018, Kohli became the 12th batsman and fastest player to score
10,000 ODI runs. He surpassed the milestone with 205 innings which is 54 innings less than the next quickest to the landmark, Sachin Tendulkar. In the course he scored his 37th ODI century. On 27 October, after scoring his 38th ODI century Kohli became the first batsman for India, first captain and tenth overall to score three successive centuries in ODIs. He ended up scoring 453 runs in 5 innings at an average of 151.00 in the 5-match series and was the
Player of the Series.
On 16 December 2018 in the
2018–2019 Border Gavaskar Trophy, Kohli scored his 25th test hundred in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
. His knock of 123 was his 6th hundred in three tours to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
making him the only Indian to score 6 test hundreds in Australia after
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-scor ...
. He also became the fastest Indian and second fastest overall (125 innings) to score 25 test hundreds, second only to
Donald Bradman (68 innings) which was bettered by
Steven Smith during
2019 Ashes (119 innings). Kohli's knock was rated by several analysts and former cricketers as one of his finest against a quality Australian attack. Although he broke several records in the game his innings proved to be insufficient as India went down by 146 runs as Australia leveled the series with two tests remaining. Overall, he finished the series with 282 runs at an average of 40. By winning the test series in Australia he had become the first Indian and also the first Asian skipper to win a test series in Australia. He was again named as captain of both the World Test XI and ODI XI for 2018 by the ICC.
In April 2019, he was named the captain of
India's squad for the
2019 Cricket World Cup
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 12th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was hosted between 30 May ...
. On 16 June 2019, in India's match against
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, Kohli became the fastest batsman in terms of innings to score 11,000 runs in ODI cricket. He reached the landmark in his 222nd innings.
Eleven days later in the match against the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
, Kohli became the fastest cricketer in terms of innings to score 20,000 runs in international cricket, doing so in his 417th innings.
Kohli scored five consecutive fifty plus scores in the tournament . Nonetheless India lost the semi-final against New Zealand in which Kohli was out for just a run.
Post 2019 World Cup performances
![Virat Kohli scoring fifty in India's first pink-ball test](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Virat_Kohli_scoring_fifty_in_India%27s_first_pink-ball_test.jpg)
In October 2019, Kohli captained India for the
50th time in Test cricket in the second Test
against South Africa. In the first innings of the match, Kohli scored an unbeaten 254 runs which is his personnel best at same time passing 7,000 runs in Tests in the process subsequently became the first batsman for India to score
seven double centuries in Test cricket. In November 2019, during the
day/night Test match
against Bangladesh, Kohli became the fastest captain to score 5,000 runs in Test cricket, doing so in his 86th innings. In the same match, he also scored his List of international cricket centuries by Virat Kohli, 70th century in international cricket.
Slump in form
Indian cricket team in New Zealand in 2019–20, India toured to New Zealand from January to March 2020 to play 5-match T20I series along with a 3 and 2-match ODI and test series respectively. During the tour, he only managed to score 218 runs across formats in 12 innings at an average of 19.81 with only one fifty plus score during first ODI. This was his lowest aggregate of runs in a tour where he played in all formats. India managed to win the T20I series 5–0 but during the ODI and Test leg of the tour they lost by 3–0 and 2–0 respectively.
Indian cricket team in Australia in 2020–21, The Indian team travelled to Australia in November 2020, touring until January 2021. During the Indian cricket team in Australia in 2020–21#ODI series, ODI Series, Kohli managed to score two half-centuries in three innings with an aggregate of 173 runs at an average of 57.67. The second match against Australia was Kohli's 250th ODI match. He was the highest run scorer in the T20I series for India with 134 runs and had average of 44.37. During the first test of the tour played as Day/night cricket, Day/night match at
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, Kohli scored 74 before being run out followed by 4 runs in the next innings. After the first Test, Kohli left the tour on Parental leave, paternity leave as he was expecting the birth of his first child.
In November 2020, Kohli was nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade as well as Test, ODI and T20I player of the decade. He won the awards for Male cricketer of the decade and ODI cricketer of the decade.
The English cricket team in India in 2020–21, English cricket team's tour of India in 2020–2021 began with a long 4-match Test series. Kohli made 172 runs across 4 Test matches, at an average of 28.66 with 2 half-centuries and 2 ducks. During the second test at Chepauk, he scored 62 on a pitch which England cricket team, English batting great Geoffrey Boycott described as a ''template to bat and score runs on a turning pitch''. In 2020, Kohli scored a combined (Test, ODI and T20I) total of 842 runs from 24 innings with highest score of 89 and an average of 36.60.
Kohli was dismissed for a duck again in the 1st T20I of a 5-match series. However, he found his form in the latter part of the series and ended the series as the highest run-scorer from both sides with 231 runs to his name and 3 half-centuries at an average of 115.50 as India clinched the series 3–2. Kohli was adjudged as the Man of the Series for his performances. During the second T20I, Kohli became the first ever batsman to complete 3,000 runs in the format.
In the 3-match ODI series, Kohli scored 129 runs in 3 innings with 2 half-centuries at a moderate average of 43.00 as India won the series 2–1. During the 2nd ODI, Kohli became the second batsman after
Ricky Ponting to score 10,000 runs batting at number 3.
The 2021 ICC World Test Championship Final was played in June 2021, with India losing to New Zealand. This was Kohli's third defeat as captain in a knockout game of an ICC tournament. He scored 44 and 13 in two innings before getting dismissed by Kyle Jamieson on both occasions .
The Indian cricket team toured England in 2021 for a Indian cricket team in England in 2021, 5-match test series. In the first innings of the first Test, Kohli was dismissed for a golden duck by
James Anderson James Anderson may refer to:
Arts
*James Anderson (American actor) (1921–1969), American actor
*James Anderson (author) (1936–2007), British mystery writer
*James Anderson (English actor) (born 1980), British actor
* James Anderson (filmmaker) ...
. Kohli managed to score 2 fifties in the next 6 innings he played. During the fifth test in 2022, where India was leading the series 2–1, Kohli scored a total of 31 runs and finished the series with 249 runs, a high score of 55 and an average of 27.66 England went on to win the match and draw the series 2-2.
Retirement from captaincy across formats
In September 2021, Kohli was named as the captain of India's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Kohli also announced that he would step down as T20I captain after T20 World Cup. India could not authorize its position in the semi-final which was the first time in the 9 years
In December 2021, Kohli was replaced by
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Gurunath Sharma (born 30 April 1987) is an Indian international cricketer and the current captain of the Indian cricket team. Widely considered as one of the best opening batter of all time, he plays as a right-handed batsman for Mu ...
as India's ODI captain. BCCI President
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (; natively spelled as Gangopadhyay; born 8 July 1972), affectionately known as Dada (meaning ''"elder brother"'' in Bengali), is an Indian cricket administrator, commentator and former national cricket team captain w ...
later explained the decision to drop Kohli as ODI captain by saying that the selectors did not feel right to have two white ball captains. Later Ganguly said that BCCI had told Virat to not step down as T20I captain. Virat Kohli, during a press conference contradicted the BCCI President and said that his decision of stepping down as captain was "received well" and termed as "progressive" by the BCCI officials.
He also claimed that chief selector Chetan Sharma informed him 90-minutes before the announcement of the Test squad for Indian cricket team in South Africa in 2021–22, India's tour of South Africa about the removal from ODI captaincy.
More than a week later during the announcement of squad for ODI series versus South Africa, Chetan Sharma contradicted Kohli by saying that officials had asked Virat to reconsider his decision of stepping down as T20I captain.
Later in 2021 and early 2022, Indian cricket team in South Africa in 2021–22, the Indian cricket team toured South Africa for a 3-match test series and a 3-match ODI series. Kohli managed to score 161 runs in the 4 innings of test series he played, averaging at 40.25. On 15 January 2022, Kohli also stepped down as India's Test captain, following the 2–1 test series defeat against South Africa He could not play 2nd test of the series due to an injury. India lost the series by 2–1, despite winning the first test. In the ODI series, Kohli scored 116 runs in 3 innings, including two fifties, with an average of 38.66. However South Africa swept the ODI series against India with a whitewash of 3–0.
Post captaincy
The West Indian cricket team in India in 2021–22, West Indian cricket team toured India in February 2022, for a 3-match ODI series and a 3-match T20I series. During the ODI series, Kohli scored 5,000 run in India in ODIs. He scored a total of 26 runs from 3 innings at an abominable average of 8.66. Kohli scored a total of 69 runs in T20I series at an average of 34.50 with the help of a half-century.
The Sri Lankan cricket team in India in 2021–22, Sri Lankan cricket team toured India in February & March 2022 for a 3-match T20I series and 2-match test series. Kohli was rested for the T20I series. Kohli amassed a total of 81 runs in 3 innings, in the 2-match test series, at an average of 27.0. He also played his 100th Test match during the series.
Following the fifth test, the Indian cricket team in England in 2022, Indian cricket team toured England for 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs in 2022. Kohli was not selected to play for the first T20I but was selected to play for the second . He finished the series with 12 runs in 2 innings at an average of 6, a high score of 11 anyhow India won the series 2-1 Kohli was selected to play during the first ODI but was ruled out due an injury in the groin. Kohli failed to impress many and finished the ODI series with 33 runs from 2 innings with a high score of 17 and an average of 16.50 regardless India still won the ODI series 2–1.
Return to form
Virat Kohli made his return to form in 2022 Asia Cup, Asia Cup 2022, scoring 276 runs with an average of 92, during which he scored his maiden T20I century against
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, scoring 122* off 61 balls. He later said in post match presentation that:
He carried his good form into the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. In the first game against
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, Kohli scored 82* and won the match for his team by a close margin. He rated this as his best innings in the format due to the magnitude which the game had. Kohli ended up as the highest run scorer in the tournament, with 296 runs that included 4 fifties .
He was named in India's Test and ODI squad for Indian cricket team in Bangladesh in 2022-23, India Tour of Bangladesh in 2022-23. In third ODI Match, he scored his 44th ODI and overall 72nd century surpassing
Ricky Ponting's record of the second-most centuries scored across formats in international cricket.
Indian Premier League
![Virat Kohli at the 2015 IPL opening ceremony (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Virat_Kohli_at_the_2015_IPL_opening_ceremony_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Following the Under-19 World Cup, Kohli was bought by the franchise
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore (often abbreviated as RCB) are a franchise cricket team based in Bangalore, Karnataka, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It was founded in 2008 by United Spirits and named after the company's liquor b ...
for $30,000 on a youth system, youth contract. He was the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Royal challengers Bangalore for 8 seasons but was futile in winning trophies.
Kohli had a poor 2008 Indian Premier League, 2008 season, with a total of 165 runs in 12 innings at an average of 15.00 and a strike rate of 105.09.
He did slightly better in the 2009 Indian Premier League, second season in which he made a total of 246 runs at 22.36, striking at over 112 while his team made it as far as the final. In the 2010 Indian Premier League, 2010 season, Kohli was the third highest run-getter for his team with 307 runs, averaging 27.90 and improving his strike rate to 144.81.
Kohli was the second-highest run-getter of the season, only behind teammate Chris Gayle and his team finished as runners-up. Kohli scored a total of 557 runs at an average of 46.41 and at the strike rate of over 121 including four fifties. In the 2012 Indian Premier League, 2012 IPL, he averaged 28 and scored 364 runs.
During 2013 Indian Premier League, 2013 season, Kohli averaged 45.28 and hit a total of 634 runs at a strike rate of over 138 including six fifties and a top-score of 99 and finished as the season's third-highest run-scorer.
In 2014 Indian Premier League, IPL 2014, Kohli scored 359 runs in 14 matches with the batting average of 27.61, his strike rate was 122.10. He scored two 50 in this season with 73 remaining as his best score. Bangalore finished seventh in the 2014 Indian Premier League, 2014 season .
He found success with the bat in the 2015 Indian Premier League, 2015 IPL in which he led his team to the playoffs. He finished fifth on the season's leading run-getters list with 505 runs at an average of 45.90 and a strike rate of more than 130.
At the 2016 Indian Premier League, 2016 IPL, the Royal Challengers finished runners-up and Kohli broke the record for most runs in an IPL season (of 733 runs) by scoring 973 runs in 16 matches at an average of 81.08, winning the Orange Cap as well as Most-valuable Player Award of Vivo (technology company), Vivo IPL 2016. He scored four centuries in the tournament, having never scored one in the Twenty20 format before the start of the season. He also became the first player to reach the 4000-run milestone in the IPL. At the launch event of his biography, ''Driven: The Virat Kohli Story'' in New Delhi, in October 2016, Kohli announced that RCB would be the IPL franchise that he would permanently play for.
Kohli missed the start of the 2017 Indian Premier League, 2017 season due to a shoulder injury. Moreover, RCB finished the tournament at the bottom of the table, with Kohli scoring the most runs for his team, with 308 from 10 matches. On the occasion of the 10 year anniversary of IPL, he was also named in the all-time Cricinfo IPL XI.
In the 2018 Indian Premier League, 2018 season, Kohli was retained by RCB for a price of , the highest for any player that year. Kohli scored 530 runs in the season and became the first batsman to score more than 500 runs in 5 different seasons. In spite of performances RCB failed to qualify for Playoffs and finished sixth on the points table.
On 28 March 2019, Kohli became the second player to reach 5000 IPL runs after Suresh Raina. In the same 2018 Indian Premier League, season, Kohli surpassed Raina to become leading runs scorer in IPL when he scored 84 runs in a match against Kolkata Knight Riders, KKR.
In 2020 Indian Premier League, IPL 2020, he scored 466 runs in 15 games with an average of 42.36, his strike rate in this season was 121.35.
On 22 April 2021, against Rajasthan Royals, Kohli became the first ever player to reach 6000 runs in IPL .
On 20 September, Royal Challengers Bangalore announced that Kohli would step down as captain following the 2021 Indian Premier League, 2021 IPL season.
In 2022 IPL, 2022 season, he scored 341 runs in 16 innings with the average of 21.31 and strike rate 115. In the match against Punjab Kings at Brabourne Stadium, he scored his 6500th IPL run. In the last league match of the tournament against Gujarat Titans, Kohli completed 7000 runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, 2022 IPL, 2022 Season proved to be one of the worst seasons for him, he ended up having 3 ducks in a single season which included 2 consecutive golden ducks.
Player profile
Playing style
![2015 CWC I v UAE 02-28 Kohli (03) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/2015_CWC_I_v_UAE_02-28_Kohli_%2803%29_%28cropped%29.JPG)
Kohli is considered an aggressive batsman
with strong technical skills. He usually bats at the no.3 position in ODI cricket. He bats with a slightly open-chested stance and a strong bottom-hand grip. He is not a big hitter and plays more grounded shots. He has frequent wrist shot play and is known for chasing down innings and batting under pressure. He is strong through the mid-wicket and cover region. He has said that the Drive (cricket), cover drive is his favourite shot, while also saying that the Batting (cricket)#Flick, flick shot comes naturally to him.
He does not play the Batting (cricket)#Sweep, sweep shot often. Kohli is strong on leg stump line bowling. If bowled at leg stump he plays flick shot.
He tends to score more in area between deep square leg to mid-on.
Kohli often struggles on very wide outside the off stump line balling, thus got out on multiple times on 3rd to 7th off stump.
[https://wisden.com/stories/stats-analysis/virat-kohli-batting-analysis-england, url=http://www.wisden.com, title=Virat Kohli batting analysis.]
According to cricket pundit like VVS Laxman, playing against the fast bowlers who bowl outside the off stump is his weakness. He has been exposed to getting dismissed by an outside off stump line ball and the opposition team's bowlers tries to exploit his weakness in Tests as well as ODIs.
Out swinging balls is one of his prominent weakness as per Richard Hadlee. Cricket pundit and former India Cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels the same that offside off stump line is his weakness.
Many pundits have suggested that Kohli may be the best limited-overs batsman in the world.
[*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*] In ODIs, he averages around 66 in matches batting second as opposed to around 48 batting first.
26 of his 43 ODI hundreds have come in run-chases and he holds the record for most hundreds batting second. Kohli is also known to be a "sharp" fielder. His teammates have praised his confidence, commitment, focus and work ethics.
Aggression
Kohli is noted for his on-field aggression and was described in the media as "brash" and "arrogant" during his early career.
He has got into confrontations with players and umpires on several occasions.
While many former cricketers have backed his aggressive attitude, some have criticised it.
In 2012, Kohli had stated that he tries to limit his aggressive behaviour but "the build-up pressure or the special occasions make it tough to control the aggression."
Comparisons to Sachin Tendulkar
Kohli is often compared to
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-scor ...
, due to their similar styles of batting, and sometimes referred to as Tendulkar's "successor".
Many former cricketers expect Kohli to break Tendulkar's batting records.
He is ranked as one of the world's most famous athletes by ESPN.com, ESPN.
Kohli has stated that growing up his idol and role model was Tendulkar and that as a kid he "tried to copy the shots Tendulkar played and hit sixes the way he used to hit them."
Former West Indies great Vivian Richards, who is regarded as the most destructive batsman in cricket, stated that Kohli reminds him of himself.
In early 2015, Richards said Kohli was "already legendary" in the ODI format
while former Australian cricketer Dean Jones called Kohli the "new king of world cricket".
Aakash Chopra, an Indian commentator, stated that "Sachin had more shots as compared to Virat".
Career summary
, Kohli has made 72 Century (cricket), centuries and 7 double centuries in international cricket—27 centuries, 7 double centuries in Test cricket, 44 centuries in One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 1 century in Twenty20 International, T20I.
Test match performance
ODI match performance
T20I match performance
![Virat Kohli T20I Graph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Virat_Kohli_T20I_Graph.png)
Kohli is the only player to have been awarded Player of the Tournament of T20 World Cup twice (in
2014 and
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
). He has 2nd most centuries in One Day International, ODI (44) and only behind
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-scor ...
who has 49 centuries. Furthermore, he has 2nd most centuries(72) in international cricket and only behind
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-scor ...
(100) In 2018, he scored 1000 ODI runs in 11 innings which is the least number of innings taken to score 1000 runs in a calendar year. In 2022, he completed 1000 runs in ICC Men's T20 World Cup and became just the second player to achieve this milestone after Mahela Jayawardene.
Test records
* Most Wins as captain of India, with 40 wins out of 68 matches .
* Four Test double-hundreds in four consecutive series.
ODI records
* Fastest to - 8,000 runs(175 innings) 9,000 runs(194 innings) 10,000 runs(205 innings) 11,000 runs(222 innings) 12,000 runs(242 innings)
T20I records
* Most runs in T20 International, T20 internationals - 4008 runs.
* Most Fifty plus scores in the career - 38 (including 37 fifties and 1 century).
* Highest career batting average in T20I - 52.73.
* Fastest to - 3,000 runs(81 innings) 3,500 runs(96 innings)
* Most player of the match(15 times) and player of the series awards(7 times).
Honours
National honours
*2013 –
Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
*2017 –
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
, India's fourth highest civilian award.
*2018 – Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India's highest sporting honour.
Sporting honours
*
Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy
The Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy is a cricket trophy is awarded annually by the International Cricket Council to the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year. It is considered to be the most prestigious of the annual ICC Awards and was first awarded in 20 ...
(ICC Men's Cricketer of the Decade): 2011–2020
*
Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy
The Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy is a cricket trophy is awarded annually by the International Cricket Council to the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year. It is considered to be the most prestigious of the annual ICC Awards and was first awarded in 20 ...
(ICC Cricketer of the Year): 2017, 2018
*
ICC ODI Player of the Year
The ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year is an annual award presented since 2004 by the International Cricket Council to the best One Day International cricketer. It is one of the annual ICC Awards.
Selection
The recipient of the annual award i ...
: 2012, 2017, 2018
*
ICC Test Player of the Year
The ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year is an annual award, presented since 2004 by the International Cricket Council to the best Test cricketer over the year in question. It is one of the annual ICC Awards.
Selection
The recipient of the annual ...
: 2018
* ICC ODI Team of the Year: 2012, 2014, 2016 (captain), 2017 (captain), 2018 (captain), 2019 (captain)
* ICC Test Team of the Year: 2017 (captain), 2018 (captain),
2019 (captain)
*ICC Awards, ICC Spirit of Cricket: 2019
* ICC Awards of the Decade, ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Decade: 2011–2020
* ICC Awards of the Decade, ICC Men's Test Team of the Decade: 2011–2020 (captain)
* ICC Awards of the Decade, ICC Men's ODI Team of the Decade: 2011–2020
* ICC Awards of the Decade, ICC Men's T20I Team of the Decade: 2011–2020
* Polly Umrigar Award for International Cricketer of the Year: 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
*
Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World
The ''Wisden'' Leading Cricketer in the World is an annual cricket award selected by ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack''. It was established in 2004, to select the best cricketer based upon their performances anywhere in the world in the previous c ...
: 2016, 2017, 2018
* ICC Awards, ICC Men's Player of the Month: October 2022
* CEAT International Cricketer of the Year: 2011–12, 2013–14, 2018–19
* Barmy Army – International Player of Year: 2017, 2018
Other honours and awards
*People's Choice Awards India For Favourite Sportsperson: 2012
*CNN-News18 Indian of the Year: 2017
* Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) renamed a stand after Kohli at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Arun Jaitley stadium, Delhi.
Outside cricket
Personal life
![Virat Kohali and Anushka Sharma at Mumbai reception](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Virat_Kohali_and_Anushka_Sharma_at_Mumbai_reception.jpg)
Kohli started dating Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma in 2013; the couple soon earned the portmanteau "Virushka". Their relationship attracted substantial media attention, with persistent rumours and speculations in the media, as neither of the two publicly talked about it. The couple married on 11 December 2017 in a private ceremony in Florence, Italy. On 11 January 2021, their first child, a girl, was born.
In 2018, Kohli revealed that he completely stopped consuming meat to cut down his uric acid levels which caused him a cervical spine issue and started affecting his finger and, in turn, his batting. In 2021, he clarified that he is a vegetarian and not a Veganism, vegan.
Kohli has admitted that he is superstitious. He used to wear black wristbands as a cricket superstition; earlier, he used to wear the same pair of gloves with which he had "been scoring". Apart from a religious black thread, he has also been wearing a kara (Sikhism), kara on his right arm since 2012.
Kohli has a lot of tattoos on his body, he has tattoos of Shiva, God Shiva in ''Dhyāna in Hinduism, dhyan mudra'' on Mount Kailash, Kailash parvat because he worships Lord Shiva, ''Om'', his parents names (Prem and Saroj), an Adivasi, Aadivasi sign, a monastery, Samurai warrior, the word 'Scorpion', and his ODI and Test cap numbers on his body.
Commercial investments
![Virat Kohli with AudiQ7](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Virat_Kohli_with_AudiQ7.png)
In 2014 Kohli became a co-owner of the Indian Super League club FC Goa. He stated that he invested in the club because he "wanted football to grow in India". He added, "It's a business venture for me for the future. Cricket's not going to last forever and I'm keeping all my options open after retirement."
In September 2015, Kohli became a co-owner of the International Premier Tennis League franchise UAE Royals, and, in December that year, became a co-owner of the JSW Group, JSW-owned Bengaluru Yodhas franchise in Pro Wrestling League.
In November 2014, Kohli and Anjana Reddy's ''Universal Sportsbiz (USPL)'' launched a youth fashion brand WROGN. The brand started to produce men's casual wear clothing in 2015 and has tied up with Myntra and Shopper's Stop. In late 2014, Kohli was announced as a shareholder and brand ambassador of the social networking venture 'Sport Convo' based in London.
In 2015, Kohli invested to start a chain of gyms and fitness centres across the country.Launched under the name ''Chisel'', the chain of gyms is jointly owned by Kohli, ''Chisel India'' and CSE (Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment), the agency which manages Kohli's commercial interests.
In 2016, Kohli started ''Stepathlon Kids,'' a children fitness venture, in partnership with ''Stepathlon Lifestyle.''
In the year 2017, Virat Kohli along with a collaboration with popular German sportswear Puma (brand), Puma launched his athleisure brand One8. The items consist of active wear and are sports-related, like apparel, footwear and accessories.
''One8 Commune'' is a chain of rest-bar, that is owned by Kohli. The first outlet of this restaurant was launched in 2017. It was Kohli's first venture in the food and beverage industry. The restaurant serves a classy yet modern ambiance and is suitable for all age groups.
Philanthropy
![Virat Kohli charity](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Virat_Kohli_charity.jpg)
He started a charitable foundation called “Virat Kohli Foundation” in 2013. The charity football match was played between Indian cricketers and Bollywood actors was an initiative to gather funds for the causes which the Virat Kohli Foundation supports. The first big event to generate funds for charity organized by the VKF was the celebrity football match to raise funds along with Abhishek Bachchan’s charity foundation.
The match attracted media attention and was a success in raising funds. Virat Kohli along with MS Dhoni and other major cricketers played that match against Abhishek Bachchan and other Bollywood celebrities. Kohli led his side – the All Hearts FC – to glory against the All Stars FC.
Another charity football match was also planned to raise funds . The match was termed as “''Celebrity Clasico''” which was held on 4 June 2016 in Mumbai. The All Hearts FC led by Virat Kohli played against Ranbir Kapoor led All Stars FC. This match was also a huge success in gaining funds for welfare causes .
In the wake of coronavirus, Kohli along with wife Anushka pledged to donate to PM Relief fun and Maharashtra CM Relief .
Social-media following
Virat Kohli is the most followed cricketer on social media - Instagram , Facebook and Twitter. He became first cricketer and first Indian to reach 100 million followers on Instagram on 1 March 2021 and 200 million followers on 8 June 2022. He also became first cricketer to cross 50 million mark on Twitter on 13 September 2022 .
Bibliography
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In media
* Appeared as a guest in an episode of ''Comedy Nights with Kapil'' on Colors TV, Colors channel.
* Kohli was featured in episodes of The Test (documentary) of Amazon Prime, Prime video, about Australian team's journey after Sandpaper Gate, ball tampering scandal.
*''Super V'' (Super Virat), an Indian animated superhero television series portrays a fictionalized version of Kohli's teen years where he discovers hidden superpowers.
*Appeared in the film, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, by 2011 Cricket World Cup archived footage.
* ''Mega Icons'' (season 1; episode 1) in 2018, an Indian Television documentary, documentary television series on National Geographic (Indian TV channel), National Geographic about prominent Indian personalities, dedicated an episode to Kohli's achievements in cricket.
See also
* Sports in India – Overview of sport in India
* List of players who have scored 10,000 or more runs in One Day International cricket
* List of cricketers by number of international centuries scored
* List of cricketers who have scored centuries in both innings of a Test match
Notes
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kohli, Virat
1988 births
Living people
Indian cricketers
India Test cricketers
India One Day International cricketers
India Twenty20 International cricketers
Royal Challengers Bangalore cricketers
Delhi cricketers
Cricketers at the 2011 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2015 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2019 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers from Delhi
India Test cricket captains
North Zone cricketers
Punjabi people
Indian Hindus
Punjabi Hindus
People from Delhi
Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports
International Cricket Council Cricketer of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Recipients of the Khel Ratna Award
Recipients of the Arjuna Award
Wisden Leading Cricketers in the World
21st-century Indian people