Virat Kohli Player Profile
India has produced many great cricketers, but none as ambitious as Virat Kohli. To match his high ambitions, Kohli combined the technical skills of Sachin Tendulkar with the fitness level of top athletes from around the world. This made him the most consistent run-scorer in all formats of cricket during his time, turning tough run chases into easy tasks. Kohli found, in his own words, the safest way to score runs—lots of them.
Kohli’s ambition also showed in his captaincy. He expected more from his bowlers, especially the fast ones, often choosing to strengthen his bowling attack by sacrificing a batsman. Under his leadership, India stayed at the No. 1 spot in Test rankings for a long time and achieved their first-ever Test series win in Australia. Kohli is on track to become India’s most successful Test captain.
Kohli scored centuries in Test cricket against every country he played, except for Bangladesh. He broke records by becoming the fastest player to reach 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, and 11,000 runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs), and he was the first player to score 50 ODI hundreds.
Kohli first made a name for himself by leading India to victory in the Under-19 World Cup in 2008. Even then, he was a special talent, known for his beautiful cover drive. He was set to be India’s next big star as Tendulkar’s era came to an end, but Kohli wanted more. He wanted to be a player who would intimidate the opposition, someone whose presence would make the contest more intense. He played every ball with passion, competed every moment, and ensured he was fit and strong enough to keep going. Kohli is credited with changing the fitness culture in Indian cricket, making fitness tests essential for team selection.
Kohli was also India’s most influential captain. He was at the center of every marketing campaign for Indian cricket and led the team during a time when the BCCI was managed by interim administrators who didn’t want to upset India’s biggest star. Kohli’s desire was always clear: to do whatever it took to win matches for India, which they did often under his leadership.
Virat Kohli IPL Factfile
- Virat Kohli is the only player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history to play all seasons for the same team: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
- He was picked by RCB after leading India to victory in the 2008 Under-19 World Cup and has stayed with them ever since.
- Kohli is the highest run-scorer in IPL history and the only player to score more than 8,000 runs.
- He holds the record for the most IPL centuries (8) and the most runs in a single season (973 runs in 2016). He has won the Orange Cap twice, in 2016 and 2024.
- Kohli was RCB’s full-time captain from 2013 to 2021, leading them to the final in 2016, where they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
- He holds records for the most successful partnerships in the IPL with AB de Villiers (3123 runs) and Chris Gayle (2787 runs).
- Kohli’s immense popularity has made RCB one of the most followed teams in the IPL, even though they have yet to win a title.
| Teams |
|---|
| India |
| Delhi |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| India A |
| India Blue |
| India Emerging Players |
| India Red |
| India Under-19s |
| Indian Board President’s XI |
| North Zone |
| Oil & Natural Gas Corporation |
| Rest of India |
