Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli (born 5 November 1988 in Delhi) is an Indian cricketer who plays as a right-handed top-order batter. He has captained India in each of the Test, One Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20I) formats. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of the 21st century, Kohli was named "Cricketer of the Year" by the International Cricket Conference (ICC) in both 2017 and 2018; and "Leading Cricketer in the World" by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in each of 2017, 2018, and 2019.^[1]

Kohli made his first-class debut on 23 November 2006, playing for Delhi against Tamil Nadu in a Ranji Trophy match at Feroz Shah Kotla. The match was drawn, and Kohli scored 10 in his only innings.^[2] He has played continuously for Delhi ever since, and they have been his sole first-class team, other than India in Test cricket.^[1] They have won the Ranji Trophy once during his time with them, in 2007/08.^[3] Kohli played in five matches that season, scoring two centuries,^[4] but he was not in their team for the final, when they defeated Uttar Pradesh by 9 wickets.^[5]

Kohli joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ahead of the first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament in April 2008. The opening match was at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore (now Bengaluru). RCB hosted the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), but lost by 140 runs. Kohli was third in their batting order and was bowled by Ashok Dinda for one run.^[6] Having been runners-up three times, RCB won the IPL for the first time in 2025. In the final against Punjab Kings, RCB batted first, and Kohli opened the innings with Philip Salt. He scored 43 from 35 balls, the top score for RCB. They totalled 190/9 in their 20 overs, and restricted Kings to 184/7, winning the match by six runs.^[7]

As with Delhi, Kohli has remained loyal to RCB and has not played for any other franchise team.^[1]

Kohli first came into the limelight in 2008, when he led the Indian under-19 cricket team to victory in the 2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He made his full international debut on 18 August 2008, when India played Sri Lanka in an ODI match at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. He opened the innings and scored 12; Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets.^[8]

Kohli made his T20I debut in June 2010 when he played against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club ground. Zimbabwe batted first and scored 111/9. India had reached 47/3 when Kohli was their fifth man in. Rohit Sharma was then dismissed and India were 48/4. Kohli was joined by Yusuf Pathan, and their unbroken fifth wicket partnership realised 64 runs from 45 balls. Kohli scored 26*, Pathan 37*, and India won by five wickets with five overs to spare.^[9]

On 20 June 2011, Kohli made his Test debut when India met the West Indies at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. After batting first, India won the match by 63 runs. Kohli was fifth man in, but he scored only 4 and 15, being dismissed in both innings by fast bowler Fidel Edwards.^[10]

Kohli was appointed captain of India's Test team ahead of the 2014/15 series in Australia. In the first Test at the Adelaide Oval, he scored a century in each innings (115 and 141), but to no avail as Australia won a high-scoring encounter by 48 runs.^[11]

The main cricket awards won by Kohli are:

• Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Men's Cricketer of the Decade): 2011–2020^[12]
• Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year): 2017,^[13] 2018^[14]
• Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World: 2016, 2017, 2018^[15]

As a batter, Kohli's greatest asset may have been his willingness to alter his technique when seeking to eliminate weaknesses. He began as a "precocious talent" with an exceptional cover drive. As his career developed, he used his quick footwork to build a wide range of strokes, but he has always resisted the temptation to try and hit big shots. In his own words, Kohli seeks "the safest possible way to score runs". He therefore keeps the ball close to the ground, and he is especially noted for his ability to make powerful wrist shots.^[16][17]

Kohli's search for continuous improvement is best illustrated by his response to a disastrous tour of England in 2014, when he struggled against not only the pitch and weather conditions but also, and more so, the ability of James Anderson to swing the ball prodigiously in those conditions. Kohli faced just 50 deliveries from Anderson in that series, and was dismissed four times by the outswinging delivery, which was then his real weakness.^[16]

Recognising the problem, Kohli asked Sachin Tendulkar for help, and took on board the advice that he must "get towards the ball" when facing a fast bowler. That meant he needed to "press forward" and be "on top of the ball" before it could start to swing in eiher direction. To achieve this, Kohli made a pronounced change to his technique. He realised, as he later said, that he "had too much of a bottom hand grip", so he changed both that and his stance "to bring the top hand far more into play".^[16]

In terms of his approach to the sport, Kohli has always been extremely competitive, and sometimes combative.^[18] He insists on the highest levels of physical fitness for both himself and his colleagues. After he became India's team captain, he introduced endurance tests as a criterion for selection.^[17] He firmly believed that fitness would ensure consistency, and his ambitious approach paid dividends with India holding the #1 position in the Test rankings for a long time, and achieving their first-ever series win in Australia.^[17]

In April 2013, Kohli was nominated for the prestigious Arjuna Award, India's second-highest sporting honour.^[19] In the same year, Kohli established the "Virat Kohli Foundation" with the philanthropic objective of supporting underprivileged children. The foundation aims to provide them with better futures through sports programs.

Also in 2013, Kohli began dating Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, and they were married on 11 December 2017 in Florence.^[20][21]

In March 2017, Kohli was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, and then the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India's highest sporting honour, in September 2018.^[22][23]

• Virat Kohli from ESPNcricinfo
• Virat Kohli from CricketArchive