Birth, Age, Family, and Education
Virat Kohli was born on November 5, 1988, in Delhi, India, to Prem Kohli, a criminal lawyer, and Saroj Kohli, a housewife. Raised in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, Kohli attended Vishal Bharti Public School and Saviour Convent. Tragically, his father passed away on December 18, 2006, after being bed-ridden for a month due to cardiac arrest.
Cricket Career
Early Beginnings
In 1998, Kohli joined the first batch of the West Delhi Cricket Academy, training under Rajkumar Sharma. He debuted in October 2002 with the Delhi Under-15 team in the Polly Umrigar Trophy, later leading the team in the subsequent tournament. Kohli then played for the Delhi Under-17 team in the 2003-04 Vijay Merchant Trophy, where he was the highest run-scorer.
Rise to Prominence
Kohli made his first-class debut for Delhi against Tamil Nadu at the age of 18. In July 2006, he joined the Under-19 team during India’s tour of England, contributing to victories in both the ODI and Test series. His T20 debut came the following year, where he emerged as the top run-scorer in the Inter-State T20 Championship with 179 runs.
Breakthrough Year
2008 was pivotal for Kohli. He captained the Under-19 Cricket World Cup-winning team, was signed by RCB for $30,000 for the IPL, and made his international debut.
International Success
Kohli’s rise continued as he filled in for injured players and performed exceptionally in various series, notably in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2010 tri-nation ODI tournament in Bangladesh. His stellar performances in these tournaments earned him praise from then-captain MS Dhoni.
Kohli was part of the 2011 World Cup-winning team, becoming the first Indian to score a century on World Cup debut. He made his Test debut against the West Indies at Kingston, although his initial performance was modest.
Records and Achievements
In 2015, Kohli became the first Indian to score a century against Pakistan in a World Cup match. He set numerous records, including the fastest batsman to reach 1,000 runs in T20I cricket and 7,000 runs in ODIs, as well as the fastest to score 25 ODI centuries. In 2017, he became the first captain to score six double hundreds in Test cricket.
In 2018, Kohli ranked No. 1 in the ICC Test rankings, the seventh Indian to achieve this. He also became the first Indian and tenth overall to hit three successive centuries in ODIs.
Captaincy
Kohli’s captaincy journey began as vice-captain for the 2012 Asia Cup, and he later led India in various successful series, including the 2013 West Indies tri-series and the 2014 ICC World T20. He became the full-time Test captain in 2014 after MS Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket.
Under his captaincy, India achieved several milestones, including the second whitewash in India’s ODI history against Sri Lanka. Kohli’s captaincy in the 2016 World T20 earned him the Man of the Tournament title. However, his leadership faced challenges, such as India’s loss in the 2021 ICC World Test Championship Final and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
Kohli also captained Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL for eight seasons but did not secure a trophy.
Personal Life
In 2013, Kohli began dating Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, and the couple, known as Virushka, married on December 11, 2017, in Florence, Italy. They welcomed their daughter, Vamika, in January 2021.
Awards and Honours
National Honours
- Arjuna Award: 2013
- Padma Shri: 2017
- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award: 2018
Sports Honours
- Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Decade): 2011–2020
- Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year): 2017
- ICC ODI Player of the Year: 2012
- 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
- CEAT International Cricketer of the Year: 2011–12, 2013–14, 2018–19
- Barmy Army – International Player of Year: 2017, 2018
Other Honours and Awards
- People’s Choice Awards India For Favourite Sportsperson: 2012
- CNN-News18 Indian of the Year: 2017
- DDCA renamed a stand after him at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Business Ventures
Brands and Businesses Owned
- Blue Tribe
- Rage Coffee
- One8
- Hyperice
- Chisel Fitness
- Digit Insurance
- Universal Sportsbiz Pvt. Ltd.
- WROGN
- Galactus Funware Technology Pvt. Ltd.
- FC Goa – ISL Franchise
- Nueva Restaurant
- Sports Convo
- Team Blue Rising
Brands and Businesses Endorsed
- Myntra
- Puma
- HSBC India
- Noise
- Star Sports
- Mobile Premier League
- Philips India
- Blue Star
- Audi India
- Manyavar
- Toothsi
- Great Learning
- Too Yumm
- Luxor
- Volini
- Wellman
- Vivo
- Duroflex
- American Tourister
- Shyam Steel
- Avas Living
- MRF Tyre
- O’cean Beverages
- Essilor
- Batwrap
- LivSpace
- Herbalife Nutrition
- Hero MotoCorp
