30 Amazing Facts About Virat Kohli- “The King Of Cricket”

One of the best batsmen of all time, Virat Kohli is the current skipper of the Indian cricket team, who bats up the order in all three formats. Kohli came into the Indian side as an ordinary batsman but after spending a few years on the national side, he transformed himself into a completely different batsman and started conquering the world with his top-quality batting across all formats. He is probably the first batsman who exhibited that one can manage to perform constantly irrespective of the format with his dedication, hard work, and resilience. There are some amazing facts About Virat Kohli, the “King Of Cricket”, which may blow your mind. 

Interesting Facts About Virat Kohli

1. Virat Kohli was born on 5th November 1988 in Delhi in a Punjabi family to Prem and Saroj Kohli. His brother Vikas Kohli is a businessman. His sister’s name is Bhavna Kohli. Prem Kohli was a criminal lawyer. 

2. Kohli started his professional career by joining the West Delhi Cricket Academy in 1998 and trained under Rajkumar Sharma. He played all age-group tournaments for Delhi before getting selected in the Indian U-19 team in 2006 for the tour of England. 

3. His nickname is “Cheeku”, his childhood coach Ajeet Chaudhury at the West Delhi Cricket Academy gave him the nickname. 

4. Kohli’s idol is Sachin Tendulkar. 

5. Virat led India to win the 2008 U-19 World Cup 2008. He was the 3rd highest run-getter with 635 runs in 6 matches. 

6. Kohli is one of the most passionate players the world has ever seen. During a Rajni Trophy match against Karnataka, his father died due to a stroke but determined Kohli decided to play the match and made 90 before attending the funeral of his father. 

7. Virat Kohli made his first appearance in international cricket in an ODI match against Sri Lanka in 2008 as the first-choice openers Sachin and Sehwag missed the series due to injury. He could only score 12 runs in the first match. 

8. Virat was a part of the Indian team that won the 2011 World Cup under Dhoni’s leadership after 28 years. His first-ever World Cup and he ended up being a winner. 

9. Virat Kohli owns many records in One Day cricket- i) quickest batsman to score 8000, 9000, 10000, 11000, 12000 & 13000 ODI runs. 

ii) The most centuries in ODI (50).

iii) Most centuries in a 5-match ODI series (3).

10. India played with probably the youngest side in the 2013 Champions Trophy. India was the best in terms of bowling, batting, and fielding. Virat scored the most runs in the final of the tournament, 43 runs off 33 balls and India wore the crown for the 2nd time at Birmingham. 

11. Kohli has smacked the fastest ODI hundred by an Indian- 100 off 52 balls against Australia in 2013.

12. The modern-day great has scored the most runs in a bilateral series of 5 or more matches, 558 runs in 6 matches. 

13. Virat Kohli made his test debut in 2011 against West Indies but was a match to forget as he scored 4 & 15 in the first and second innings of the match.

14. India’s tour of England in 2014 was a nightmare and the leanest phase of Kohli’s career. He accumulated only 134 runs in 5 matches. Suffering depression, Virat came back stronger in the series against Australia in Australia. He was the lone warrior for India, notching up 692 runs in 4 matches, including 4 centuries.

15. Kohli has hit 7 double centuries as a captain in Test, which is the most by any captain in the longest format of the game.

16. The Delhi-based batsman got the Test Player of the Year Award in 2018, with 1322 runs in 13 matches at an average of 55.08.

17. Kohli has scored the most runs against Pakistan in an innings by any batsman, 183 in the Asia Cup 2012.

18. Virat played his first T20I match against Zimbabwe in 2010. He is the highest run-scorer in T20 internationals, with 3159 runs in 90 matches. 

19. Kohli has smacked the most 50s in T20I, 37. 

20. Virat Kohli was the highest run-scorer (319 runs) in the 2014 T20 World Cup but still finished the event as the runner. 

21. Virat is the only player in the world to maintain an average of above 50 across all formats.

22. As a captain, Kohli has won 37 tests, which is the most by any Indian in the test. 

23. During the 2023 World Cup in India, Virat Kohli showed peak level consistency, scoring 711 runs in 10 matches, the most by a batter in a single World Cup.

23. Accolades in Cricket- i) ODI player of the year- 2012, 2017 & 2018. 

         ii) ICC Cricketer of the Year- 2017 & 2018.

         Iii) ICC Player of the Decade- the 2010s (2011-2020).

         iv) Wisden leading cricketer of the year award- 2016, 2017 & 2018.

24. For his contribution to Indian cricket, he has won a few prestigious awards- the Arjuna Award (2013), Padma Shri (2017), & Rajib Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (2018).

25. Apart from cricketers, Virat Kohli is fond of “Roger Federer” & “Christiano Ronaldo”.

26. In 2013, Kohli began the Virat Kohli Foundation to help unprivileged kids with their education and sports. 

27. According to a report of DNA, Virat Kohli’s brand value as of 2021 is $237.7 million.

28. Kohli got married to Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma in a private ceremony in Florence in 2018. They were blessed with a daughter in 2021, named “Vamika”. 

29. Kohli’s jersey number is 18.

30. The Indian superstar’s estimated net worth is $120 million.

31. The fitness freak likes to eat “Chole Vature” as a cheat meal once a month.

32. Kohli is the only Indian batsman to smash a hundred on his ODI debut.

33. In the history of IPL, Kohli is the only cricketer to play for one franchise since 2008.