Virat Kohli born 5 November 1988 is an Indian international cricketer and the former captain of the Indian national cricket team. He is a right-handed batsman and an occasional medium-fast bowler. He currently represents Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL and Delhi in domestic cricket. Kohli is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-format batters of all time. He also holds the record for scoring the most centuries in ODI cricket and stands second in the list of most international centuries scored, and is highest run-scorer in IPL. Kohli was a member of the Indian team that won the 2011 Cricket World Cup, 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy. Further captained India to win the ICC Test mace three consecutive times in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
In 2013, Kohli was ranked number one in the ICC rankings for ODI batsmen. In 2015, he achieved the summit of T20I rankings. In 2018, he was ranked top Test batsman, making him the only Indian cricketer to hold the number one spot in all three formats of the game. He is the first player to score 20,000 runs in a decade. In 2020, the International Cricket Council named him the male cricketer of the decade.
Kohli has received many accolades for his performances in cricket. He won the ICC ODI Player of the Year award four times in 2012, 2017, 2018, and 2023. He also won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, given to the ICC Cricketer of the Year, on two occasions, in 2017 and 2018 respectively. In 2018, he became the first player to win both ICC ODI and Test Player of the Year awards in the same year. Also, he was named the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for three consecutive years, from 2016 to 2018.In 2018, Time magazine included him on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Kohli has been deemed one of the most commercially viable athletes, with estimated earnings of ₹634 crore S$75 million in the year 2022.
Main article: Career of Virat Kohli’s international career began in August 2008 when the 19-year-old had a “surprise call-up” to the ODI squad for a tour of Sri Lanka. He opened the batting due to injuries to senior players, scoring his first half-century in the fourth match. After a brief stint with the India A team, he scored a century against a strong Australian bowling line-up in a tour match.
Despite an early BCCI contract, Kohli’s place in the team was not secure. A turning point came in the 2009 Emerging Players Tournament in Australia, where he was the top run-scorer, leading his team to victory with a century in the final. This performance cemented his return to the national side. He scored his maiden ODI century in December 2009 against Sri Lanka By early 2010, he became the third Indian to score two ODI centuries before turning 22.
In 2010, Kohli was appointed vice-captain for a tri-series in Zimbabwe and became the then fastest Indian to score 1,000 ODI runs. After a dip in form during the 2010 Asia Cup, he solidified his position with consistent performances, finishing as India’s leading ODI run-scorer for the year.
Kohli played a crucial role in India’s 2011 World Cup victory, scoring a century on his debut and a 35 in the final. Further made his Test debut in June 2011 against the West Indies, but struggled initially and was dropped. He was recalled and eventually found his footing, scoring his maiden Test century in Adelaide in January 2012. He continued to score runs in ODIs, with an unbeaten 133 against Sri Lanka and a career-best 183 against Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup, being the standout performances.
By 2013, Kohli was a linchpin of the Indian batting line-up, particularly in run-chases . He played a key role in India’s 2013 Champions Trophy win and was appointed captain for the first time during a tri-series in the West Indies, where he scored his first century as skipper. He later established several records, including the fastest ODI century by an Indian. In his first series as permanent captain, he scored three centuries in his first three innings, totaling 692 runs, the most by an Indian batsman in a Test series in Australia. He also remained consistent in the T20 format, earning the Man of the Tournament award at the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 for his 319 runs in the tournament.
Kohli’s form in the lead-up to the World Cup was not at his best, however after a strong start to the 2015 World Cup with a century against Pakistan, Kohli’s tournament ended with a score of 1 in the semi-final loss to Australia. A subsequent dip in form was followed by his first Test series win as captain in Sri Lanka. From 2016 to 2018, he entered a peak phase of his career. In 2016, he was the Player of the Tournament at the ICC World T20.
He became the first batsman to score double centuries in four consecutive Test series and was appointed captain for the 2017 Champions Trophy, where India finished as runners-up. This period saw him break numerous records, including becoming the fastest to 8,000, 10,000, and 11,000 ODI runs. In 2018, he became the No. 1 ranked Test batsman and led India to first-ever Test series victory in Australia. By 2019, he became India’s most successful Test captain, holding the ICC Test Mace for five consecutive years He scored his 70th international century in November 2019, but this was followed by a prolonged lean patch.
He was the highest run-scorer at the 2022 T20 World Cup, playing a impactful innings of 82* against Pakistan. His peak resurgence came at the 2023 World Cup on home soil where he was named the Player of the Tournament for scoring a record 765 runs in a single edition. During the tournament, he scored his 50th ODI hundred, surpassing Tendulkar’s long-standing record.
In next year’s T20 World Cup; Kohli had a lean tournament, however delivered a player of the match performance in the final, scoring 76 as India won the trophy. Following the victory, he announced his retirement from T20 Internationals. In the 2025 Champions Trophy, Kohli was instrumental in India’s victory, scoring a century and becoming the fastest to 14,000 ODI runs. India later secured victory. 