Breakthrough: From Delhi Age-Group Cricket to the World Cup
Kohli learned the game at the West Delhi Cricket Academy under coach Rajkumar Sharma, and his temperament became the stuff of legend early. In December 2006, the morning after his father Prem died, the 18-year-old returned to the crease for Delhi against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy and batted on to 90 to help save the match. Two years later he captained India to the 2008 Under-19 World Cup title in Malaysia, and within months he was opening in ODIs in Sri Lanka. His first ODI hundred came against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens in December 2009. In the 2011 World Cup final at the Wankhede, with Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar back in the pavilion early, his 35 in a steadying stand with Gautam Gambhir showed he belonged on the biggest stage.
Virat Kohli International Career Journey
Format
Debut
Last Match / Status
ODI
18 August 2008 v Sri Lanka
Active (latest listed: 3 October 2026 v West Indies)
T20I
12 June 2010 v Zimbabwe
Retired after the 2024 T20 World Cup final
Test
20 June 2011 v West Indies
Retired from Tests on 12 May 2025
Kohli became a fixture of India’s ODI side within two years of his debut and went on to captain India in all formats. He is the only Indian to have been ranked number one in Test, ODI and T20I batting.
Virat Kohli ICC Tournament Record
Tournament
Result
Kohli’s Contribution
ODI World Cup 2011
Winner
Century on World Cup debut; 35 in the final
Champions Trophy 2013
Winner
Member of the winning squad
T20 World Cup 2014
Runner-up
Player of the Tournament
T20 World Cup 2016
Semi-finalist
Player of the Tournament
ODI World Cup 2023
Runner-up
Player of the Tournament; record 765 runs in one edition
T20 World Cup 2024
Winner
Player of the Match in the final (76)
Champions Trophy 2025
Winner
Scored a century during the tournament
Virat Kohli IPL Record
Kohli has played his entire IPL career for Royal Challengers Bengaluru since the first season in 2008 and is the competition’s leading run-scorer.
Season
Highlight
2016
973 runs at 81.08, a single-season record; Orange Cap
2024
741 runs at 61.75; second Orange Cap
2025
IPL champion (RCB’s first title)
2026
IPL champion again; back-to-back titles for RCB
Virat Kohli Records and Milestones
Most centuries in ODI cricket
Most runs in a single ODI World Cup edition (765 in 2023)
Fastest to 8,000, 10,000, 11,000, 14,000 and 15,000 ODI runs; second batter to reach 15,000
First player to score 20,000 international runs in a single decade
Only Indian ranked number one in all three formats
Virat Kohli Awards and Honours
Year
Award
2013
Arjuna Award
2017
Padma Shri
2017, 2018
ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy)
2018
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
2018
ICC Test Player of the Year
2012, 2017, 2018, 2023
ICC ODI Player of the Year
2016, 2017, 2018
Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World
2011 to 2020
ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade
Batting Technique and Method
Kohli’s method rests on a still head, a high front elbow and an unusually strong bottom hand that lets him whip balls from outside off stump through midwicket. He is at his best against pace, using a short trigger movement onto the front foot and supple wrists that turn a good-length ball into two runs. His real edge is game management. In ODI chases he rarely takes aerial risks early, preferring to rotate the strike, run hard between the wickets and back himself to accelerate in the final 15 overs. The recurring weakness, the drive at balls in the fourth- and fifth-stump channel, was exposed in Australia in 2024-25 and is still the line new-ball bowlers target.
