Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

Kohli at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi in 2018
Personal information
Born	(1988-11-05) 5 November 1988 New Delhi, India
Nickname	Cheeku
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium
Role	Top-order batsman
Relations	Anushka Sharma (wife)
International information
National side	India (2008–present)
Test debut (cap 269)	20 June 2011 v West Indies
Last Test	22 December 2022 v Bangladesh
ODI debut (cap 175)	18 August 2008 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI	12 January 2023 v Sri Lanka
ODI shirt no.	18
T20I debut (cap 31)	12 June 2010 v Zimbabwe
Last T20I	10 November 2022 v England
T20I shirt no.	18
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2006–present	Delhi
2008–present	Royal Challengers Bangalore
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I FC Matches 104 266 115 135 Runs scored 8,119 12,584 4,008 10,343 Batting average 48.90 57.72 52.73 50.45 100s/50s 27/28 45/64 1/37 34/36 Top score 254* 183 122* 254* Balls bowled 175 641 152 643 Wickets 0 4 4 3 Bowling average – 166.25 51.00 112.66 5 wickets in innings – 0 0 0 10 wickets in match – 0 0 0 Best bowling – 1/15 1/13 1/19 Catches/stumpings 104/– 138/– 50/– 135/–
Medal record Men's Cricket Representing India World Cup Winner 2011 India–Bangladesh–Sri Lanka T20 World Cup Runner-up 2014 Bangladesh ICC World Test Championship Runner-up 2021 England (Final)
Source: ESPN cricinfo,, 10 January 2023
Signature

Template:Virat Kohli series Virat Kohli (Hindi pronunciation: [ʋɪˈɾɑːʈ ˈkoːɦli] ; born 5 November 1988) is an Indian international cricketer and former captain of the Indian national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time in limited-overs cricket. Kohli plays as a right-handed batsman for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and for Delhi in Indian domestic cricket. He holds the record for scoring most runs in both T20 internationals and in IPL. In 2020, the International Cricket Council named him as player of decade. Kohli has also contributed to India's successes, including winning the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions trophy.

Born and raised in Delhi, Kohli trained in West Delhi Cricket Academy; started his youth career with Delhi Under-15 team. Kohli made his international debut in 2008 and quickly became a key player in the ODI team. He made his Test debut in 2011. In 2013, Kohli reached the number one spot in the ICC rankings for ODI batsmen for the first time. During 2014 T20 World Cup, he set a record for the most runs scored in the tournament. In 2018, Kohli became the number one ranked Test batsman, making him the only Indian batsman to achieve the top spot in the ICC rankings in all three formats. Kohli stepped down as captain of the T20I team in 2021 and the Test team in early 2022.

Kohli is considered a prolific batsman and run-scorer. He has won Man of the Tournament award twice at the ICC World Twenty20, in 2014 and 2016. Playing for his franchise in IPL, he won the Orange Cap and Most-valuable Player Award in 2016 season. He has also won most player of the match and series awards in T20I. With 40 wins in 68 Test matches, Kohli is India's most successful Test captain.

Kohli has received many accolades for his performances on the cricket field. He was recognized as the ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2012 and has won Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, given to the ICC Cricketer of the Year, on two occasions, in 2017 and 2018. Kohli also won ICC Test Player of the Year and ICC ODI Player of the Year awards in 2018, becoming the first player to win both awards in the same year. Additionally, Kohli was named the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for three consecutive years, from 2016 to 2018. At the national level, Kohli was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2013, the Padma Shri under the sports category in 2017 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest sporting honour, in 2018.

In 2016, he was ranked as one of the world's most famous athletes by ESPN and one of the most valuable athlete brands by Forbes. In 2018, Time magazine included him on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2020, he was ranked 66th in Forbes 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 Delhi to a Punjabi Hindu family. His father, Prem Kohli, worked as a criminal lawyer and his mother, Saroj Kohli, is a housewife. He has an older brother, Vikas, and an older sister, Bhavna. According to his family, when he was three-years old, Kohli would pick up a cricket bat, start swinging it and ask his father to bowl at him.

Kohli was raised in Uttam Nagar and started his schooling at Vishal Bharti Public School. In 1998, the West Delhi Cricket Academy was created and a nine-year-old Kohli was part of its first intake. Kohli's father took him to the academy after their neighbours suggested that "Virat shouldn't waste his time in gully cricket and instead join a professional club". Kohli trained at the academy under his coach Rajkumar Sharma and also played matches at the Sumeet Dogra Academy at Vasundhara Enclave at the same time. Sharma recounts Kohli's early days at his academy, "He oozed talent. It was so difficult to keep him quiet. He was a natural in whatever he did and I was most impressed with his attitude. He was ready to bat at any spot, and I had to literally push him home after the training sessions. He just wouldn’t leave." In ninth grade, Kohli shifted to Saviour Convent School in Paschim Vihar to advance his cricket practice. His family lived in Meera Bagh until 2015 when they moved to Gurgaon.

Kohli's father died on 18 December 2006 due to a stroke 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:

Virat changed a bit after that day. Overnight he became a much more matured person. He took every match seriously. He hated being on the bench. It's as if his life hinged totally on cricket after that day. Now, he looked like he was chasing his father's dream which was his own too.

Youth and domestic career

Delhi

Kohli first played for Delhi Under-15 team in October 2002 in the 2002–03 Polly Umrigar Trophy. He was the leading run-scorer for his team in that tournament with 172 runs at an average of 34.40. He became the captain of the team for the 2003–04 Polly Umrigar Trophy; scored 390 runs in 5 innings at an average of 78 including two centuries and two fifties. In late 2004, Kohli got selected in the Delhi Under-17 team for the 2004–05 Vijay Merchant Trophy. He scored 470 runs in four matches at an average of 117.50 with two hundreds and top-score of 251* in that tournament. Delhi Under-17s won the next years Vijay Merchant Trophy in which Kohli finished as the highest run-scorer with 757 runs from 7 matches at an average of 84.11 that included two centuries.

In February 2006, he made his List A debut for Delhi against Services but did not get to bat. Few months later, made his first-class debut for Delhi against Tamil Nadu in November 2006, at the age of 18; he was dismissed for 10 runs in his debut innings. Kohli came into the spotlight in December when he decided to play for his team against Karnataka; on the day after his father's death and went on to score 90. He went directly to the funeral after he was dismissed. Delhi captain Mithun Manhas said, "That is an act of great commitment to the team and his innings turned out to be crucial" while coach Chetan Chauhan lauded Kohli's "attitude and determination." He scored a total of 257 runs from 6 matches at an average of 36.71 in that season.

In April 2007, Kohli 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 September 2008, Kohli played in Nissar Trophy against SNGPL (winners of Quaid-i-Azam Trophy from Pakistan) and top-scored for Delhi in both innings, with 52 and 197. The match was drawn but SNGPL won the trophy on first-innings lead.

India Under-19

File:U19 Virat.jpg

Kolhi during Under-19 World Cup

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. At the conclusion of the tour, the India Under-19 coach Lalchand Rajput was impressed with Kohli and said, "Kohli showed strong technical skills against both pace and spin". 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 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 in the series 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. 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 match was called "the innings of the tournament" by ESPNcricinfo, 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 and Tanmay Srivastava 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. Kohli was also picked in the squad of India Emerging Players for the four-team Emerging Players Tournament; 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 and Virender Sehwag 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 for 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 in the India A squad for the unofficial Tests against Australia A in September 2008. He batted only once in the two-match series, and scored 49 in that innings.

In October 2008, Kohli played for Indian Board President's XI in a four-day tour match against Australia. He made 105 and 16* in that match against a bowling line-up consisting of Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Jason Krejza.

Kohli was included in the squad for the home ODI series against England in November 2008 but was not given a chance to play, due to the inclusion of Tendulkar and Sehwag in the team. In December 2008, Kohli was given a Grade D contract in the annual BCCI contracts list which entitled him to receive ₹1.5 million (equivalent to ₹4.2 million or US$50,000 in 2023). However was then dropped from the squad for the five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka against Sri Lanka in January 2009.

Kohli was selected in the four-team Emerging Players Tournament in July–August 2009 held in Australia. He opened the innings for India Emerging Players in that tournament and finished as the leading run-getter with 398 runs from seven matches at an average of 66.33; scored 104 off 102 balls in the final against South Africa Emerging Players at Brisbane to help his team win the match by 17 runs and clinch the title. At the conclusion of the tournament, Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of the national selection committee, was impressed with Kohli and remarked "I must say, opener Virat Kohli was outstanding. Some of the shots he played spoke about his ability." Kohli has called this tournament as the "turning point" of his career.

Kohli, after recovering from a minor shoulder injury, returned to the national team replacing the injured Gautam Gambhir in the Indian squad for the tri-series in Sri Lanka. He batted at number 4 for India in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy as Yuvraj Singh suffered from an injury. In December 2009, he was included in the team for home ODI series against Sri Lanka 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 him to 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; became the leading run scorer of the series with 275 runs from five innings at an average of 91.66.

Rise through the ranks

Kohli batting in an ODI against New Zealand in December 2010

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 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.

"He is a very physical type of player. He likes to impose himself on the game, backs it up with his skill."

 – Team India's coach Dav Whatmore at the 2008 Under-19 World Cup on Kohli,

Kohli was India's leading run scorer in the five-match ODI series of the South African tour 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 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

Kohli fielding during a match in December 2010

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. 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 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, 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 was followed by a string of low scores in the next three matches. In the last game of the series at Cardiff, Kohli scored his sixth ODI hundred–107 runs off 93 balls–and shared 170 runs partnership with Rahul Dravid for the third wicket, who was playing his last ODI match. Kohli was dismissed hit wicket 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, where he put on an unbroken 209 run partnership with Gambhir; followed by innings of 86 at Mumbai, 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, 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, he gestured to the crowd with his middle finger 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 with scores of 44 and 75, even as India got their second consecutive innings defeat. In the fourth and final match at Adelaide, Kohli scored his maiden Test century, 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.

Kohli fielding during a CB Series match against Australia in February 2012

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. 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 in 2004 and the joint second highest score along with Dhoni in an ODI run-chase; 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. 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; hitting two fifties during the tournament, against Afghanistan and Pakistan, 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. Overcoming his poor run of form, 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 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 .

"I love watching Virat Kohli bat. He looks to me like an individual of my own heart. I love his aggression, and he has serious passion that I used to have. He reminds me of myself."

 – Former West Indies captain Viv Richards on Kohli.,

In June 2013, Kohli featured in the ICC Champions Trophy in England which India won. He scored a 144 against Sri Lanka in warm-up match. He scored moderately 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 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. Kohli was also named as part of the 'Team of the Tournament' by the ICC.

Setting records

Kohli batting against South Africa in Cardiff during the Champions Trophy in June 2013

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; 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. 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 , 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. 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 triple-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.

"I always had a different kind of feeling when I started working with Virat Kohli. From the beginning, I was very sure that he was a rare talent and would become a great player. He grew massively in these past few years and has matured a lot. I was fortunate to be part of that process of seeing him grow and that give me immense pleasure."

 – Gary Kirsten, who was India's coach from 2008 to 2011, on Kohli,

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 off Ravi Rampaul. India lost the match by two wickets, but took the series 2–1 after winning the series-decider 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

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Kohli having a look elsewhere while playing South Africa in 2014

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, 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 while 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 his innings, 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 tournament. For his achievement he won the Man of the Tournament award.

"Kohli is the next chosen one. He exudes the intensity of Dravid, the audacity of Sehwag, and the extraordinary range of Tendulkar. That doesn't make him better, simply sui generis, his own unique kind."

 – Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe on Kohli,

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 or slip fielders. Man of the series James Anderson 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. 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 showed moderate batting display 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 batsman 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 to make more than 1,000 runs in ODIs for four consecutive calendar years.

Captaincy

Australia tour of 2014–15

Virat in discussion with coach Duncan Fletcher ahead of Border-Gavaskar series

For the first Test of the Australian tour in December 2014, Dhoni 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 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, he made his personal best Test score(of that time) of 169 in the first innings while sharing a 262 runs partnership with Rahane, 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 hits 147 runs 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 is 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, with scores of 18 and 5 in the warm-up matches against Australia and Afghanistan respectively.

Virat Kohli batting against UAE during 2015 Cricket World Cup

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, 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. 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 at the time, 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, 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.

File:Kohli batting vs PAK.jpg

Virat celebrating his fifty against Pakistan in T20 World Cup

Kohli maintained his good form in the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 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 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. 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 scored 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 at point on the bowling of Mohammad Amir. He was also named as part of the 'Team of the Tournament' at the 2017 Champions Trophy by the ICC.

Virat Kohli after scoring a hundred against England in 2018 Test series

Kohli 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. 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 5–1 and 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 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 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, Nottingham, 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 as one of his finest. The Guardian describes Kohli's batting display as One of the Greatest batting display in a losing cause.

Kohli at Greenfield Stadium during match with West Indies

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. His knock of 123 was his 6th hundred in three tours to Australia making him the only Indian to score 6 test hundreds in Australia after Sachin Tendulkar. 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. On 16 June 2019, in India's match against Pakistan, 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, 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

File:Virat Kohli scoring fifty in India's first pink-ball test.jpg

Virat Kohli celebrating his 22nd fifty in India's first pink-ball test

After the World Cup , India toured West Indies for 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs followed by two test matches . Kohli was instrumental in ODI series win as he struck back to back hundreds in second and third ODI. He was awarded player of the series for his match performances. In the following test series which India won 2-0, Kohli became most successful test captain for India, going past MS Dhoni who had 27 wins.

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 70th century in international cricket.

Slump in form

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, Kolhi 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. The Indian team travelled to Australia in November 2020, touring until January 2021. During the 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 appearance in an ODI match and became 8th Indian to play this many matches. During the first test of the tour played as Day/night match at Adelaide, Kohli scored 74 before getting run out followed by 4 runs in the next innings. This happened in the match in which India were skittled out for 36 . After the first Test, Kohli left the tour on paternity leave as he was expecting the birth of his first child.

File:Kohli vs Australia.jpg

Kohli batting against Australia in ODI match at Sydney

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'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 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. 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 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, which India lost 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 .

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. Following this, he 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 as India's ODI captain. BCCI President Sourav Ganguly 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 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, 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. He could not play 2nd test of the series due to an injury. On 15 January 2022, Kohli also stepped down as India's Test captain, following the 2–1 test series defeat against South Africa. 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 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 average of 8.66. In the following T20I series Kohli scored a total of 69 runs at an average of 34.50 with the help of a half-century. In February–March 2022, Sri Lankan cricket team toured India for a 3-match T20I series and 2-match test series. Kohli amassed a total of 81 runs from the 3 innings, in the 2-match test series, at an average of 27.0. When playing first-match of series, Kohli also completed hundred Test matches, becoming only the 12th Indian cricketer to play this many matches .

Following the fifth test, the 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 Asia Cup 2022, scoring 276 runs with an average of 92, during which he scored his maiden T20I century against Afghanistan, scoring 122* off 61 balls. He later said in post match presentation that:

"Last two and a half years have taught me a lot. I am going to turn 34 in a month. So those angry celebrations are a thing of the past . I have had many suggestions, lot of advice has come my way; people were telling me I was doing this wrong, that wrong, I picked out all the videos from the best time I had; same initial movement, same approach towards the ball and it was just what was happening inside my head I wasn't able to explain it to anyone "

— Virat after scoring 71st century,

He carried his good form into the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. In the first game against Pakistan, 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 finished as the highest run-scorer in the tournament, with 296 runs to his name at an average of 98.66. For his performances, he was included in Team of the tournament.

Kohli was named in India's Test and ODI squad for India Tour of Bangladesh in 2022-23. In third-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's record in IPL matches
Matches	Runs	HS	100s	50s	Avg.
223	6624	113	5	44	36.20

Following the Under-19 World Cup, Kohli was bought by the franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore for $30,000 on a youth contract. He was the captain of Royal challengers Bangalore for 8 seasons but was futile in winning trophies.

Representing File:RCB Logo(2).svg RCB
Indian Premier League
Runner-up	2009
Runner-up	2011
Runner-up	2016
Champions League
Runner-up	2011

Kohli had a poor 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 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 season, Kohli had an intermediate performance. He was the third highest run-getter for his team with 307 runs, averaging 27.90 and improving his strike rate to 144.81.

Ahead of the 2011 season, Kohli was the only player retained by the Royal Challengers franchise. Kohli was made vice-captain; captained the team in a few matches when the regular skipper Daniel Vettori was injured. The Royal Challengers coach Ray Jennings opened that the 22-year-old would become the future captain of not only the franchise but also the Indian team. Kohli was the second-highest run-getter of the season, only behind his teammate Chris Gayle and his team finished as runners-up. He scored a total of 557 runs that included four fifties and at an average of 46.41 .

In the 2012 IPL, Virat had an another average season. He scored 364 runs in the 16 matches he played and averaged 28.

Virat as the captain of RCB at 2015 IPL Opening Ceremony

After Vettori's retirement, Kohli was appointed as the team's captain for the 2013 season. During the season, Kohli averaged 45.28 while scoring 634 runs at a strike rate of over 138 including six fifties and finished as the season's third-highest run-scorer. In a match against Delhi Daredevils he scored 99, missing his maiden century by a run. He fought the lone-battle from his side and helped his team win the match by 4 runs.

In IPL 2014, Kohli had a relatively colder season, scoring 359 runs in 14 matches with the batting average of 27.61 and strike rate of 122.10. He scored two 50's in this season with 73 remaining as his best score. Bangalore finished seventh in the 2014 IPL.

He found success with the bat in the 2015 IPL, helping his team to qualify for 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. In the 46th match of season, he scored 82* against Mumbai Indians, during the match he had an 215 run-partnership with AB De Villiers which was third 200 partnership in IPL.

At the 2016 IPL, the Royal Challengers finished runners-up and Kohli broke the record for most runs in an IPL season, which was previously held by Chris Gayle and Mike Hussey, they both had scored 733 runs, Kohli overtook them 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 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. His 113* against Kings XI Punjab was his best knock of the season.

Kohli missed the initial matches of the 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. He managed to score 308 runs from 10 matches he played, that included four fifties. On the occasion of the 10 year anniversary of IPL, he was also named in the all-time ESPN Cricinfo IPL XI.

"He is a consummate surgeon at the crease, intensely focused, working hard, playing the ball into gaps in the field and staying calm under pressure. He is always judging the right time to consolidate and the right time to seize a game by the scruff of the neck."

 – Kohli's RCB team mate AB de Villiers

In the 2018 season, Kohli was retained by RCB for a price of ₹170 million (US$2.0 million), the highest for any player that year. Kohli scored 530 runs at par good average of 48 in the season and became the first batsman to score more than 500 runs in 5 different seasons. In spite of his 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 season, Kohli surpassed Raina to become leading runs scorer in IPL when he scored 84 runs in a match against KKR. Furthermore he scored his fifth century in the IPL in away match against KKR. He scored 464 runs in the season at a strike rate of 141.46, Nonetheless RCB finished at the bottom of the table under his captaincy.

In IPL 2020, he scored 466 runs in 15 games with an average of 42.36, his strike rate in this season was 121.35. Kohli ended up on 9th position on the list of highest run-scorers. His team was knocked out in the eliminator match against Sunrises Hyderabad as he got out early in the second over to Jason Holder.

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 IPL season. In this eason, he scored 405 runs at an average of 28.92 in 15 games. Three fifties came out of his season, with his best being 72*.

In 2022 season, Kohli was retained by RCB for ₹150 million (equivalent to ₹160 million or US$1.9 million in 2023). He scored 341 runs in 16 innings with the average of 21.31 and strike rate of 115. In the match against Punjab Kings at Brabourne Stadium, he completed 6500 runs in IPL . In the last league match of the tournament against Gujarat Titans, Kohli completed 7000 runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, 2022 Season proved to be one of the worst seasons for him as he ended up having 3 ducks in a single season which included 2 consecutive golden ducks.

Player profile

Playing style

Kohli playing his famous flick shot in CWC 2015

Kohli is considered an aggressive batsman with strong technical skills and dynamic playing style. He usually bats at the number 3 position in ODI cricket, with a slightly open-chested stance and a strong bottom-hand grip. He is known for his quick footwork and wide range of shots, as well as his ability to pace an innings and perform well under pressure. Kohli has stated that he is not a big hitter, and tends to play more grounded shots. He is known for his wrist-shot play and strong performance in the mid-wicket and cover region. He has said that the cover drive is his favourite shot, while also saying that the flick shot comes naturally to him. He is particularly strong on leg stump line bowling, and tends to play the flick shot when the ball is delivered in this area. Kohli rarely plays the sweep shot, and tends to score more between deep square leg and mid-on. He bats with a still head, is versatile. He can play conventional cricket, score between long-off and long-on with a straight blade before opening out. Kohli can be is both organised and destructive. When batting, he creates angles that defeat field placements, with a combination of bat-speed and strong, flexible wrists. In addition to his batting, Kohli is also an excellent fielder, known for his quick reflexes and safe hands.

However, he sometimes struggles with wide outside the off stump line deliveries, and has been dismissed on multiple occasions by bowlers who deliver in the third to seventh off stump region. 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.

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 45 ODI hundreds have come in run-chases and he holds the record for most hundreds batting second. Regarding his impressive record batting second, Kohli has said "I love the whole situation that comes with chasing. I like the challenge of testing myself, figuring out how to rotate strike, when to hit a boundary." His teammates have praised his confidence, commitment, focus and work ethics.

Aggression

Kohli is known for his aggressive playing style and aggressive leadership as well. This aggression is often seen in his on-field attitude, where he is known to be fiercely competitive, and his animated and passionate reactions to situations on the field. This on-field aggression has also been reflected in his captaincy where he is known to be proactive, taking bold decisions and leading the team from the front, 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 for crossing the line of fair play or for losing his cool. 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." However, Kohli himself has often stated that his aggression is a positive thing and that it helps him stay focused and motivated on the field.

Comparisons to Sachin Tendulkar

Kohli is often compared to Sachin Tendulkar, 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. 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". In September 2018, West Indies legend Brian Lara, who was in New York as a part of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour, picked Kohli as one of the best batsmen in the world, alongside England captain Joe Root.

In popular culture

Virat Kohli with AudiQ7

Kohli was signed up by sports agent Bunty Sajdeh of Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment after the 2008 Under-19 World Cup. Sajdeh recalls, "I didn’t go after them after they became stars. In fact, I watched Virat at the 2008 ICC Under-19 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. I was mighty impressed with his attitude and the way he was marshalling his team. He had that spark. And I told Yuvi to set up the meeting." Sajdeh manages Kohli's endorsement deals, along with those of other Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Murali Vijay. It was reported in 2013 that Kohli's brand endorsements were worth over ₹1 billion (US$12 million). His bat deal with MRF is said to be the costliest deal in Indian cricket history. In 2017, he signed an eight-year endorsement deal with Puma worth about ₹1.1 billion (US$13 million), becoming the first Indian sportsperson to sign a ₹100 crore (equivalent to ₹140 crore or US$17 million in 2023) deal with a brand. As of January 2023, Kohli is the most-marketable cricketer with annual earnings of ₹165 crore (equivalent to ₹175 crore or US$21 million in 2023). He is most followed Asian on Instagram with over 220 million followers on the platform. As per reports, he charges ₹8.9 crore (equivalent to ₹9.4 crore or US$1.1 million in 2023) per Instagram-post.

In 2017, Kohli was ranked 7th in the list released by Forbes as the Most Valuable Brand among athletes, ahead of sportspeople like Lionel Messi, Rory McIlroy and Stephen Curry, with an estimated brand value of $14.5 million. In 2018, Kohli was again listed 83 in the top 100 highest paid athletes in the world. In 2019, Kohli dropped 17 places to No. 100 on Forbes' World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes" list, making him the only Indian and the only cricketer to feature in that list. His earnings were estimated at $25 million, earning $21 million from endorsements and the rest from salary and winnings. In September 2017, Kohli had endorsement deals with 17 brands. In March 2019, Kohli was signed up as brand ambassador of mobile esports platform Mobile Premier League. In April 2021, Ahead of the IPL, Vivo signed Kohli as their brand ambassador.

In 2018, A documentary featuring him was released on National Geographic, It was about Kohli's achievements in cricket. On the 11th anniversary of international debut, Kohli was honored with a stand on his name at Feroz Shah kotla statdium in Delhi; became the youngest cricketer to have a stand on his name. In November 2019, on the occasion of his thirty-first birthday, Super V an Indian animated superhero television series was released; portrays a fictionalized version of Kohli's teen years where he discovers hidden superpowers.

Outside cricket

Personal life

Kohli with wife Anushka Sharma in their Mumbai reception

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 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 on his right arm since 2012.

Kohli has a lot of tattoos on his body, he has tattoos of God Shiva in dhyan mudra on Kailash parvat because he worships Lord Shiva, Om, his parents names (Prem and Saroj), an Aadivasi sign, a monastery, Samurai warrior, the word 'Scorpion', and his ODI and Test cap numbers on his body.

Commercial investments

Kohli at the opening ceremony of the Pro Kabaddi League in June 2016.

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 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 September 2015, Kohli became a co-owner of the International Premier Tennis League franchise UAE Royals. After a few months later that year, became a co-owner of the JSW-owned Bengaluru Yodhas franchise in Pro Wrestling League.

In 2015, Kohli invested ₹900 million (US$11 million) 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 launched his athleisure brand One8. The items consist of active wear and are sports-related, like apparel, footwear and accessories. In same year he also founded Nueva, a fine dining bar and restaurant owned by Kohli, based in New Delhi. The restaurant is South American themed and the interior is filled with Native American arts.

One8 Commune is a chain of rest-bar, 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.

In 2022, Kohli along with wife invested ₹2.5 crore (equivalent to ₹2.9 crore or US$350,000 in 2023) in an insurance-based startup named 'Digit'. He also invested in Blue Tribe, a startup in plant-based meat products; aims to manufacture and distribute delicacies like frozen minced chicken and more. Kohli himself claims to follow a plant-based diet and now wishes to tell people how they can be more conscious and leave less impact on the planet.

Philanthropy

Virat Kohli at charity dinner for Smile Foundation

He started a charitable foundation called “Virat Kohli Foundation” in 2013. The organisation aims at helping underprivileged kids and conducts events to raise funds for the charity. According to Kohli, the foundation works with select NGOs to "create awareness, seek support and raise funds for the various causes they endorse and the philanthropic work they engage in." In May 2014, eBay and Save the Children India conducted a charity auction with VKF, with its proceeds benefiting the education and healthcare of underprivileged children. Kohli also envisions in creating a better sports-facilitated future for children. He is committed to build youth focused programs for children and provide them with resources, use his partnerships to support the exposed section of our society.

For charity purposes, A football match was played between Indian cricketers and Bollywood actors that 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, 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. This time All Hearts FC led by Virat Kohli played against Ranbir Kapoor led All Stars FC. Consequently the match was also a huge success in gaining funds for welfare causes.

In 2016, Virat Kohli Foundation joined with Smile Foundation, to support the cause of empowerment of underprivileged children and youth. As a first step towards this endeavor, Kohli hosted a one-of-its-kind charity dinner at Hyatt Regency, Mumbai, and was joined by his colleagues MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkay Rahane, KL Rahul to support the cause of children and youth empowerment. To promote the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) which aims to achieve a cleaner India, Kohli along with Anurag Sharma and the Indian team cleaned the Eden Gardens on Gandhi Jayanti of 2016.

In the wake of coronavirus in 2020, Kohli along with wife Anushka pledged to donate to PM Relief fun and Maharashtra CM Relief. He along with wife Anushka Sharma are passionate about animals and they have made their own personal contributions to wildlife relief efforts. With his support to Awaaz, he wishes to have well planned medical services, shelter and food to the strays.

Career summary

Main article: List of international cricket centuries by Virat Kohli

See also: Career Stats

As of January 2023, Kohli has made 73 centuries and 7 double centuries in international cricket—27 centuries, 7 double centuries in Test cricket, 45 centuries in One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 1 century in T20I.

Test match performance

An innings-by-innings breakdown of Kohli's Test batting career, showing runs scored (blue and red (not out) bars) and the black line is his career batting average.

ODI match performance

An innings-by-innings breakdown of Kohli's ODI batting career, showing runs scored (blue and red (not out) bars) and the black line is his career batting average.

T20I match performance

An innings-by-innings breakdown of Kohli's T20I batting career, showing runs scored (blue and red (not out) bars) and the black line is his career batting average.

Kohli is the only player to have been awarded Player of the Tournament of T20 World Cup twice (in 2014 and 2016). He has 2nd most centuries in ODI (44) and only behind Sachin Tendulkar who has 49 centuries. Furthermore, he has 2nd most centuries(72) in international cricket and only behind Sachin Tendulkar(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

• Most ODI centuries while chasing (26).
• 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 internationals - 4,008 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).

IPL records

• Most runs in Indian Premiere League - 6,624 runs.
• Most runs in a single edition of IPL - 973 runs (2016).
• Only player to be involved in three double-century plus stands , two times with AB de Villiers and once with Chris Gayle.
• Fastest to - 5,000 runs(165 innings) 6,000 runs (188 innings)
• Most runs against Delhi Capitals(925).
• Most hundreds in a season (4).

Honours

See also: Player of the Match awards (cricket)

Kohli receiving the Padma Shri award from President Pranab Mukherjee in March 2017

Kohli meeting Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in New Delhi in 2017

National honours

• 2013 – Arjuna Award
• 2017 – Padma Shri , India's fourth highest civilian award.
• 2018 – Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India's highest sporting honour.

Sporting honours

• Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Men's Cricketer of the Decade): 2011–2020
• Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year): 2017, 2018
• ICC ODI Player of the Year: 2012, 2017, 2018
• ICC Test Player of the Year: 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 Spirit of Cricket: 2019
• ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Decade: 2011–2020
• ICC Men's Test Team of the Decade: 2011–2020 (captain)
• ICC Men's ODI Team of the Decade: 2011–2020
• 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: 2016, 2017, 2018
• ICC Men's Player of the Month: October 2022
• CEAT International Cricketer of the Year: 2011–12, 2013–14, 2018–19
• Indian Premier League Orange Cap: 2016
• Barmy Army – International Player of Year: 2017, 2018
• ESPNcricinfo – ODI Batting Performance of the Year: 2012

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, Delhi.

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
• List of cricketers with centuries in all international formats

References

Bibliography

• Memon, Ayaz (2013). Virat Kohli: Reliable Rebel. Chennai: Jaico Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-84955-24-8.
• Lokapally, Vijay (2016). Driven : The Virat Kohli Story. New Delhi: Bloomsbury. p. 221. ISBN 978-93-85936-26-5. OCLC 962035183.
• Patel, Dhirubhai (2016). Virat Kohli: A Run Machine (published 13 November 2016). p. 54. ASIN B01MQIB89L.
• Virmani, Shobhit (2017). The Biggest Fan of Virat Kohli. BlueRose. p. 96. ISBN 978-93-87038-90-5.
• Abhirup, Bhattacharya (2017). Winning like Virat: Think & Succeed like Kohli. Rupa. p. 141. ISBN 978-81-29146-06-9.
• Patterson, Ryan (2017). Virat Kohli: 7 Life Changing Lessons. Createspace Independent Pub. p. 66. ISBN 978-19-76085-69-7. Self-belief and hard work will always earn you success.
• Nicholson, Fred (2019). Virat Kohli - The Best in the World. Independently Published. ISBN 978-10-76318-29-9.
• Srinivasa, Chakrapani (2019). Kohlinoor of India: Winner Virat Kohli. Independently Published (published 1 June 2019). p. 80. ISBN 978-10-71215-41-8.
• Kumar, Vivek; Pandey; Shambunath (2021). Virat Kohli Colour: Indian Cricketer. Notion Press (published 18 December 2021). p. 54. ISBN 979-88-85460-14-9.

External links

• Official website
• Virat Kohli on Twitter
• Virat Kohli at ESPNcricinfo
• Virat Kohli at IMDb
• Virat Kohli on Instagram