Happy Birthday Virat Kohli: A Cricket Legend's Journey to Greatness

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIRAT KOHLI: With innumerable records under his belt and an irresistible desire to keep on scoring runs, Virat Kohli is undoubtedly one of the greatest players ever to have donned the Indian cricket team jersey. Kohli was destined to become one of the finest when he led India Under-19 team to World Cup triumph at Kuala Lumpur in 2008. Kohli not only handled Indian batting line-up with sheer ease, he also emerged as one of the most successful leaders of the country.

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Kohli became the fastest cricketer to score 26,000 international runs. Kohli overtook Sachin Tendulkar to achieve this incredible feat earlier this year. Kohli also surpassed former Sri Lanka all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya to become the fourth-highest ODI run-scorer. Overall, Kohli currently claims the fourth spot on the list of highest run-scorers in international cricket.

As Kohli celebrates his 35th birthday today, we take a look at his incredible rise in the field of cricket.

Kohli’s Journey in Cricket

After putting up some stellar performances in domestic cricket and age-group tournaments, Kohli earned his maiden international call-up in 2008. Kohli made his international debut against Sri Lanka in an ODI in August 2008.

Two years later in June, Kohli played his first T20I against Zimbabwe.

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Kohli’s Transition to Middle Order

In Test cricket, Kohli played his first match against West Indies in June 2011.

Kohli was deployed as an opener in the initial phase of his international career. His stint as an opener was quite impressive. Later, Kohli established himself as one of the greatest middle order batters. Kohli’s match-winning knocks soon earned him the reputation of the ‘chase master.’

The Chase Master

Kohli’s excellence during run chase was on full display in the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka. Kohli and his fellow Delhi teammate Gautam Gambhir stitched a vital partnership of 83 runs in that game to guide India to World Cup glory.

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Kohli’s stellar run of performances in the 50-overs format made him the highest Indian run-scorer in ODIs in three back-to-back calendar years – 2010, 2011 and 2012.

He also succeeded in claiming the prestigious ICC ODI cricketer of the year award in 2012.

Kohli’s Sensational 133 in Hobart

While it is certainly a herculean task to bring forth Kohli’s best ODI knock, fans will always remember one particular innings which he played against Sri Lanka in Hobart in 2012. It was the unbeaten knock of 133 which made the whole world take note of his caliber. Chasing a mammoth total of 321, India scored the winning runs, quite comfortably, with 80 balls to spare. The successful run chase was possible primarily due to Kohli’s blistering 133 off 86 balls.

Test Cricket Excellence

In Tests, his performance was no less incredible. Kohli was named stand-in captain for the first Test against Australia in 2014. He had notched two centuries in the first Test at Adelaide. Kohli had taken over as the full-time Test captain in 2015, following MS Dhoni’s retirement from red-ball cricket.

Rise to Captaincy

In 2017, Kohli took over as India’s full-time white-ball captain. Kohli ended up being India’s one of the most successful Test skippers ever. During his tenure as the Test captain, Kohli led India to the number one spot in the ICC rankings and innumerable epic wins. India, however, could not win an ICC tournament under Kohli’s captaincy.

IPL Journey

In Indian Premier League (IPL) also, Kohli has not been able to win the much-coveted title yet. Kohli plies his trade for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL.

Kohli’s Pursuit of ODI World Cup Glory

However, Kohli’s current focus is now winning the ODI World Cup. Kohli and his men kicked off the World Cup 2023 campaign, currently being held on their home soil, on a promising note. Kohli scored a sublime World Cup century against Bangladesh on October 19.