Mumbai: The heart and soul of the Indian team, King Kohli completed 16 years in international cricket today (August 18).
It all started when Virat Kohli captained India’s U-19 team towards victory after defeating South Africa in the final. He was the top run-scorer of the tournament with 235 runs at an average of 47 and a strike rate of 94.75. He then made his debut in 2008 in an ODI series against Sri Lanka.
Virat went as an opener with Gautam Gambhir in his debut match against Sri Lanka, but he only managed to score 12 runs. But by the end of series, he accumulated a total of 159 runs in five matches.
Top international record held by Virat Kohli:
1.4th highest run scorer:
Virat Kohli has scored 26942 runs in 533 matches. He is currently sitting at the fourth position. He has 8848 runs in 113 Test matches, 13906 runs in ODIs and 4188 runs in T20Is.
2. Seven Double Centuries as a Test Captain:
Kohli has seven-double centuries as an Indian captain. He equalled Wally Hammond and Mahela Jayawardene’s tally.
3. Most Runs in IPL:
The stalwart has 8004 runs in 252 matches, this includes 8 centuries and 55 half-centuries. He holds the record of scoring most runs in a season that is 973 runs in 16 matches.
4. Kohli is India’s most successful Test Captain:
Under his leadership India remained at the top of Test rankings for six consecutive years. He led Indian team in 68 matches out of which the team won 40, he lost 17 and 11 ended a draw.
Virat is also the first Test captain to win a Test series against Australia.
6. 50 ODI Centuries:
During the ODI World Cup match against New Zealand, Virat shattered Tendulkar’s long-standing record by scoring his 50th ODI century. He completed the feat in just 279 innings.
Virat has registered his name in the golden book of cricket, he is called ‘King Kohli’ for all the right reasons as his undefeatable records completely outshine.
He has been through several difficult phases in life, especially the time when he was struggling with poor form for a little while, but his resilience, grit and passion for the game helped him overcome all the obstacles.
In the T20 World Cup 2024 final match against South Africa he played like a lone warrior and scored 76 runs which were very crucial for the team. He recently announced his retirement from T20Is but will be seen in ODI and Test format.
