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Placed amongst the highest level of sportsmen in India, Virat Kohli is considered an outstanding Indian international cricketer. While he is considered one of the best batsmen of the present times, his ability to bowl right-hand medium pace is equally appreciable. A powerful batsman, he is dependable and responsible for taking India to victory single-handedly in many matches.
Early in his life, the game of cricket fascinated Virat. His parents recognised his potential and enrolled him at the West Delhi Cricket Academy. He was 9 years old then. His potential was honed and refined, and he became an extremely talented player. In the years that followed, Virat represented Delhi at different age-group levels and played domestic cricket. In 2008, he achieved his first big success as captain of India Under-19, which won the Under-19 World Cup that year. He was soon part of the Indian team, becoming an important middle-order player. He is considered an ‘ODI specialist’ and a superb test cricketer. He has been captain of the Indian cricket team in each of the three formats from 2013 to 2022.
Virat Kohli – Important Details
- Date of Birth – 5th November 1988
- Nickname – Chiko
- Height – 5 ft 9 inches
- Parents – Father – Prem Kohli, Mother – Saroj Kohli
- Siblings – Vikash (Brother), Bhavna (Sister)
- Education – Vishal Bharti Public School, Saviour Convent
- Spouse – Anushka Sharma (actor)
- Children – Vamika (Daughter)
- Profession – Cricketer
- Batting – Right-handed batter
- Bowling – Right-arm medium bowler
- Net Worth – ₹980 crores (approx)
- Awards Received – Padma Shri, Arjuna Award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
Early Life
Virat Kohli was born in a Delhi-based Punjabi family. His father was a criminal lawyer, and his mother was a homemaker. Virat joined the West Delhi Cricket Academy at nine and trained under his first coach, Rajkumar Sharma, who saw the great potential in him. He believed that if trained well, Virat would attain great heights. Besides cricket training, Virat also excelled academically. His father provided both unconditional support and encouragement.
Kohli lost his father to a stroke when he was 19 years old. It is a lesson to learn that Virat was on the field to play a Ranji match the next day and did tremendously well.
Virat Kohli Career
Domestic Cricket
The List A debut for Virat happened in February 2006. On that day, he played for Delhi against Services. He did not get a chance to bat, but Delhi won. Virat got a listing in over 273 List A matches.
On 23rd November 2006, Virat made his Ranji Trophy debut. It was against Tamil Nadu. He showed his true grit when he played for Delhi against Karnataka in December. It was the day after his father died. His 90 runs proved critical for the match. This changed Virat’s life. To quote his mother, “Overnight, he became a much more mature 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.”
Virat Kohli Debut
During the Sri Lanka tour, Virat joined the Indian team on 18th August 2008. In the 4th game, he made his match-winning score of 54 runs. The series was won by India 3-2. At times he was not selected for the national team, but he still was showing his ability. He was selected for the 4-team Emerging Players Tournament (July & August 2009 – Australia). Virat, with 398 runs, was the tournament’s leading scorer, and he calls this tournament his career’s turning point.
The Rise
When Gautam Gambhir was injured, Kohli was called back for the Sri Lanka series and various tournaments, such as Champions Trophy (2009) and Australia. In Sri Lanka’s 4th ODI, Virat made his first century. The Gambhir-Kohli partnership of 224-was instrumental in Gambhir giving his Man of the Match award to Virat. In 2010, Virat made 995 runs (47.38 average) and became the highest run-scoring batsman. This got him a position on the Indian team.
ODI Career
His ODI performance got Virat the name ‘Chase Master Kohli’. He has made 43 ODI centuries, and the current world record is 49. Virat’s ODI debut was on 18th August 2008 against Sri Lanka. When Australia toured India in 2020, he beat his record of Tendulkar by scoring the fastest 12,000 runs in ODI.
Test Career
Virat is in 4th position for the highest number of double centuries in test cricket. He got the highest ever test rating for an Indian batsman – 937 against England on 22nd August 2018. He has, in 82 matches, made 22 half-centuries and 26 centuries.
T20 Career
Virat made his international T20 debut during the India tour of Zimbabwe on 12th June 2010. Virat has captained the national team in all three formats and has an average of 50 in T20I. He scored 94 on 6th December 2019, against West Indies, his highest T20I score.
IPL Career
Virat has been part of Royal Challengers Bangalore since 2008, the inception of IPL. Few have remained in the same team all along. In 2013, he became captain of the team and still is.
In the 2016 season, Virat made 973 runs, comprising seven half-centuries and 4 centuries.
Virat has the IPL record of scoring 6000 runs.
Virat Kohli Awards
- Arjuna Award (2013)
- ICC ODI Player of the Year (2012 & 2017)
- ICC ODI Team of the Year (2012, 2014, 2016 (captained the team) & 2017 (captained the team)
- ICC Test Team of the Year (2017 (captained the team))
- Padma Shri (2017)
- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2018)
- Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year – 2017)
