Virat Kohli

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Virat Kohli
Personal information
Born (1988-11-05) 5 November 1988 (age 37)
New Delhi, India
NicknameChikoo or Cheeku[1][2]
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
RoleTop-order batsman
Relations
​
(
m. 2017)
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 269)20 June 2011 v West Indies
Last Test4 March 2021 v England
ODI debut (cap 175)18 August 2008 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI28 March 2021 v England
ODI shirt no.18
T20I debut (cap 31)12 June 2010 v Zimbabwe
Last T20I20 March 2021 v England
T20I shirt no.18
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2006–presentDelhi
2008–presentRoyal Challengers Bangalore (squad no. 18)
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I FC
Matches 91 254 90 123
Runs scored 7,490 12,169 3,159 9,739
Batting average 52.38 59.07 52.65 52.92
100s/50s 27/25 43/62 0/28 34/33
Top score 254* 183 94* 254*
Balls bowled 163 641 146 631
Wickets 0 4 4 3
Bowling average – 166.25 49.50 110.00
5 wickets in innings – 0 0 0
10 wickets in match – 0 0 0
Best bowling – 1/15 1/13 1/19
Catches/stumpings 88/– 132/– 42/– 119/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo,, 28 March 2021

Virat Kohli (Hindustani: [ʋɪˈraːʈ ˈkoːɦliː] (About this soundlisten); born 5 November 1988) is an Indian cricketer and the current captain of the India national team. A right-handed top-order batsman, Kohli is regarded as one of the best contemporary batsmen in the world.[3] He plays for Delhi in domestic cricket and for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as captain of the franchise since 2013.

Kohli captained India Under-19s to victory at the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia. After a few months later, he made his ODI debut for India against Sri Lanka at the age of 19. Initially having played as a reserve batsman in the Indian team, he soon established himself as a regular in the ODI middle-order and was part of the squad that won the 2011 World Cup. He made his Test debut in 2011 and shrugged off the tag of "ODI specialist" by 2013 with Test hundreds in Australia and South Africa.[4] Having reached the number one spot in the ICC rankings for ODI batsmen for the first time in 2013, Kohli also found success in the Twenty20 format, winning the Man of the Tournament twice at the ICC World Twenty20 (in 2014 and 2016).

Kohli was appointed the vice-captain of the ODI team in 2012 and handed over the Test captaincy following Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Test retirement in 2014. In early 2017, he became the limited-overs captain as well after Dhoni stepped down from the position. In ODIs, Kohli has the second highest number of centuries and the highest number of centuries in run-chases in the world. He holds the world record for being the fastest batsman to 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, 11,000 and 12,000 runs in ODI cricket. Among Indian batsmen, Kohli has the best ever Test rating (937 points), ODI rating (911 points) and T20I rating (897 points).

Kohli has been the recipient of many awards such as the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) in 2017 and 2018; ICC Test Player of the Year 2018; ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2012, 2017 and 2018 and Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2016, 2017 and 2018.[5] He was given the Arjuna Award in 2013, the Padma Shri under the sports category in 2017[6] and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the highest sporting honour in India, in 2018.[7] Kohli is ranked as one of the world's most famous athletes by ESPN[8] and one of the most valuable athlete brands by Forbes.[9] In 2018, Time magazine named Kohli one of the 100 most influential people in the world.[10] In 2020, Kohli was ranked 66th in Forbes list of the top 100 highest paid athletes in the world for the year 2020 with estimated earnings of $26 million.[11]

Early life

Virat Kohli was born on 5 November 1988 in Delhi into a Punjabi Hindu family.[12] His father, Prem Kohli, worked as a criminal lawyer and his mother, Saroj Kohli, is a housewife.[13] He has an older brother, Vikas, and an older sister, Bhavna.[14] 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.[15]

Kohli was raised in Uttam Nagar[16] 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.[16] 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".[13] Kohli trained at the academy under Rajkumar Sharma and also played matches at the Sumeet Dogra Academy at Vasundhara Enclave at the same time.[16] 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."[17] In ninth grade, he shifted to Saviour Convent in Paschim Vihar to help his cricket practice.[13] Apart from sports, Kohli was good at academics as well, and his teachers remember him as "a bright and alert child".[18] Kohli's family lived in Meera Bagh until 2015 when they moved to Gurgaon.[19]

Kohli's father died on 18 December 2006 due to a stroke after being bed-ridden for a month.[13] Regarding his early life, Kohli has said in an interview, "I've seen a lot in life. Losing my father at a young age, the family business not doing too well, staying in a rented place. There were tough times for the family... It's all embedded in my memory."[20] 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 every day. I miss his presence sometimes."[21]

Personal life

Kohli and Anushka Sharma at Vogue Awards

Kohli started dating Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma in 2013; the couple soon earned the celebrity couple nickname "Virushka".[22][23] Their relationship attracted substantial media attention, with persistent rumours and speculations in the media, as neither of the two publicly talked about it.[24] The couple married on 11 December 2017 in a private ceremony in Florence, Italy.[25][26] On 11 January 2021, they became parents to a baby girl, Vamika.[27]

In 2018, Kohli turned vegan after facing a cervical spine issue caused by high uric acid levels because of which his stomach started pulling calcium from his bones and hence had to cut his meat intake.[28][29][30]

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.[31]


Playing style

Kohli playing his famous flick shot in CWC 2015

Kohli is a naturally aggressive batsman[32] with strong technical skills.[33] He usually bats at the no.3 position in ODI cricket.[34] He bats with a slightly open-chested stance[35][36] and a strong bottom-hand grip,[37][38] and is said to have quick footwork.[39] He is known for his wide range of shots, ability to pace an innings and batting under pressure.[40][41][42] He is strong through the mid-wicket and cover region.[43] He has said that the cover drive is his favourite shot, while also saying that the flick shot comes naturally to him.[15] He does not play the sweep shot often, being called "not a natural sweeper of the cricket ball".[44] His teammates have praised his confidence, commitment, focus and work ethics.[45][46][47] Kohli is also known to be a "sharp" fielder.[48][49]

Kohli is regarded as the best limited-overs batsmen in the world, especially while chasing.[50][51] In ODIs, he averages around 69 in matches batting second as opposed to around 51 batting first.[52] 26 of his 43 ODI hundreds have come in run-chases and he holds the record for most hundreds batting second.[53] 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."[15]

Kohli is often compared to Sachin Tendulkar, due to their similar styles of batting, and sometimes referred to as Tendulkar's "successor".[54][55] Many former cricketers expect Kohli to break Tendulkar's batting records.[56][57] 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."[58] 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,[59] while former Australian cricketer Dean Jones called Kohli the "new king of world cricket".[60] Kohli is noted for his on-field aggression and was described in the media as "brash" and "arrogant" during his early career.[47][61] He has got into confrontations with players and umpires on several occasions.[47][62] While many former cricketers have backed his aggressive attitude,[63][64][65] some have criticised it.[47][66] In 2012, Kohli had stated that he tries to limit his aggressive behaviour but "the build-up and the pressure or the special occasions make it tough to control the aggression."[67]

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.[68]

References

  1. ↑ "How Virat Kohli got the nickname 'Chikoo' - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  2. ↑ "Virat Kohli reveals the secret behind his nickname "Cheeku"". www.indiatvnews.com. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ "India vs South Africa 2013: Post-Tendulkar era begins, Virat Kohli shines". Zee News. 18 December 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  5. ↑ http://m.wisdenindia.com/full-story.php?category=Wisden%20Cricketers’%20Almanack%202018&id=296545&
  6. ↑ "Virat Kohli receives Padma Shri Award at Rashtrapati Bhavan". The Indian Express. 31 March 2017. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  7. ↑ "Virat Kohli, Mirabai Chanu bask in Khel Ratna glory - Times of India ►". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  8. ↑ "ESPN's World Fame 100". ESPN. Archived from the original on 13 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "Virat Kohli ranked 7th biggest brand in world sports by Forbes". Archived from the original on 21 February 2018.
  10. ↑ Diesel, Vin. "virat kohli". Time. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "Virat Kohli only cricketer in Forbes' top 100 highest-paid athletes of 2020". Hindustan Times. 30 May 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "Even today the money cricketers make is not enough: Kapil Dev in conversation with Virat Kohli". India Today. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Virat changed after his dad's death: Mother". Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  14. ↑ Lokendra Pratap Sahi (7 March 2011), "Being aggressive comes naturally: Virat Kohli – Young turk speaks about his likes and Dislikes", The Telegraph, Calcutta, India, archived from the original on 23 March 2012, retrieved 13 March 2012
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "This is Virat". The Cricket Monthly. ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 9 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Cricketer Virat Kohli - India's latest sex symbol?". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  17. ↑ Lokapally (2016), p. 19.
  18. ↑ "Successful Alumni / Vishal Bharti Public School". Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  19. ↑ "Virat Kohli: Delhi's golden boy since 2002". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  20. ↑ "I'd give my life for those dear to me: Virat on Anushka". ABP Live. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  21. ↑ "Superstar Virat Kohli goes back to school". Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  22. ↑ "Finally! Anushka Sharma confesses love for Virat Kohli in this new TVC". 21 October 2017. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017.
  23. ↑ "Virat Kohli's post supporting Anushka Sharma declared the 'Golden Tweet' of 2016". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  24. ↑ "Virat Kohli swears by girlfriend Anushka, abuses HT journalist". Hindustan Times. 3 March 2015. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  25. ↑ "It's official: Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli are married". The Express Tribune. 11 December 2017. Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  26. ↑ "Virat Kohli officially announces marriage to Anushka Sharma, Twitter goes berserk". Hindustan Times. 11 December 2017. Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  27. ↑ "Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma blessed with baby girl". www.businesstoday.in. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  28. ↑ Oct 7, Indranil Basu / TNN / Updated; 2018; Ist, 15:47. "Virat Kohli: Captain Kohli turns vegan, feels it has improved his game | Cricket News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-01-02. {{cite web}}: |first1= has generic name (help); |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ↑ "Happy Birthday Captain: When Virat Kohli turned vegan and said bye-bye to meat and dairy products". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  30. ↑ "Virat Kohli reveals reason behind turning into a vegan in Instagram live with Kevin Pietersen". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  31. ↑ "World Cup 2015: Cricketers and their superstitions". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 March 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  32. ↑ "Emerging into his own". ESPNcricinfo. 7 August 2008. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  33. ↑ "Kohli says proper technique behind his quickfire tons". ESPNcricinfo. November 2013. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  34. ↑ "HowSTAT! ODI Cricket - Virat Kohli - Batting Analysis by Batting Position". www.howstat.com. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  35. ↑ "Kohli, Pujara Caught in Mindfield?". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  36. ↑ "Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay: India let down by batsmen at Old Trafford". india.com. 7 August 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  37. ↑ "The Kohli method". ESPNcricinfo. 13 September 2012. Archived from the original on 13 December 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  38. ↑ "Not getting into swing of things, Virat on his knees". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  39. ↑ "Technical, knock-out". The Indian Express. 12 September 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  40. ↑ "Kohli sharpened under pressure". ESPNcricinfo. 4 April 2014. Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  41. ↑ "Virat Kohli: India batsman has talent, temperament and cricketing intelligence in droves". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  42. ↑ Wilson, Andy (5 July 2014). "India's Virat Kohli has swagger and substance to trouble England". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  43. ↑ "Virat Kohli: The flag-bearer of Indian cricket". NDTV. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  44. ↑ "Kohli rises, India go down". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  45. ↑ "What Kohli taught Yuvraj". ESPNcricinfo. 11 April 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  46. ↑ Villiers, A. b De (8 May 2016). "Virat Kohli is pure class - A.B. de Villiers". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 47.3 Sharma, Aabhas (8 November 2013). "Why Virat Kohli is who he is". Business Standard India. Business Standard. Archived from the original on 23 April 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  48. ↑ "India seek comfort in youth". ESPNcricinfo. 8 September 2011. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  49. ↑ "Will Kohli get a fair deal?". Yahoo! Cricket. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  50. ↑ "Another Kohli ton in a chase, another India win". ESPNcricinfo. 24 July 2013. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  51. ↑ "The champion of the chase". ESPNcricinfo. 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  52. ↑ "Statistics / Statsguru / V Kohli / One-Day Internationals". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  53. ↑ "Statistics / Statsguru / One-Day Internationals / Batting records". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  54. ↑ "The king and his heir". ESPNcricinfo. 3 November 2013. Archived from the original on 8 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  55. ↑ "Kohli makes a Tendulkar-like ton". ESPNcricinfo. 18 December 2013. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  56. ↑ "Gavaskar expects Kohli to surpass Tendulkar in ODIs". ESPNcricinfo. November 2013. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  57. ↑ "Virat Kohli can break Sachin Tendulkar's record: Chetan Chauhan". NDTV. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  58. ↑ Kohli, Virat (15 January 2014). "Sachin was my idol and role-model". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  59. ↑ "Kohli already a ODI batting legend: Richards". The Hindu. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  60. ↑ "Combative Virat Kohli represents new-age India: Dean Jones". Sportskeeda. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  61. ↑ "The Rise and Rise of Virat Kohli". Verve Magazine. 21 June 2014. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  62. ↑ "Australia v India 2014: David Warner confrontation slammed by Indian media". Fox Sports AU. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  63. ↑ "Vivian Richards Backs Virat Kohli's Aggressive Attitude". NDTV. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  64. ↑ India, Press Trust of (4 January 2015). "Shastri strongly defends Kohli's aggressive attitude". Business Standard India. Business Standard. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  65. ↑ "For me what matters are runs that Virat Kohli scores: Sourav Ganguly". Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  66. ↑ "Virat Kohli Aggression Can be Counter-Productive for India in Australia: Sunil Gavaskar". NDTV. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  67. ↑ "Dhoni tells me not to cross the line of aggression: Kohli". Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  68. ↑ "India vs England: Virat Kohli, Joe Root Are Best Batsmen In The World, Says Brian Lara | Cricket News". NDTVSports.com.

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