VIRAT KOHLI

Virat Kohli - A Success Story of the King of Cricket

Cricket is the most loved sport in India, with players of the Indian cricket team facing immense pressure from the crowd and supporters. Virat Kohli is considered one of the greatest batsmen in the history of world cricket, consistently performing with great excellence in every match. He is also a fitness icon for all Indians. Despite fierce competition, Kohli is the current captain of the Indian cricket team. Let us take a look at the inspiring success story of the king of cricket, Virat Kohli.

Childhood and Early Life

Virat Kohli was born on 5th November 1988 in New Delhi to a Punjabi family. His father, Prem Kohli, was a criminal lawyer, and his mother, Saroj Kohli, was a housewife. Kohli has an elder brother named Vikas Kohli and an elder sister named Bawna. Kohli’s love for cricket began at a very young age. According to his family, he picked up the bat at the age of just 3. His father used to bowl, and Kohli used to swing the bat. He studied in Vishal Bharti Public School, where he was good in studies, according to his teachers.

Joining of Cricket Academy

Kohli’s neighbors suggested that he join a cricket academy after seeing his ability. So, at the age of just 9, his family enrolled him in the West Delhi Cricket Academy, where he received training from Rajkumar Sharma. Sharma considered Kohli to be incredibly talented and hardworking.

Under-15 Career

Kohli played for the Delhi under-15 team in the Polly Umrigar Trophy in 2002-03. He scored 172 runs overall, making him the highest run-scorer for his team. For this performance, he was made the captain of the team in the 2003-04 Polly Umrigar Trophy, where he scored 390 runs in five innings.

Under-17 Career

Kohli’s brilliant performance earned him a spot in the Delhi under-17 team in the 2003-04 Vijay Merchant Trophy, where he scored 470 runs in four innings. In the 2004-05 Vijay Merchant Trophy, he was the highest run-getter, scoring 757 runs in seven matches, and Delhi under-17 team emerged as the winners. He also made his debut in List A Cricket for Delhi.

A Tragic Death of his Father

Kohli was just 18 when his father passed away due to a brain stroke. He was playing for Delhi against Karnataka at the time. Despite the tough situation, he played that match and scored 90 runs when Delhi was struggling. After the match, he went directly to the funeral. Kohli's family faced difficult times, and his mother said that this tough time made him more mature and focused towards his dreams. It was his father’s dream to see him play for the Indian cricket team, and after his father's death, Kohli was determined to fulfill that dream.

Under-19 Career

In July 2006, Kohli was selected to play for the Indian under-19 team on its tour to England, marking his first out-of-country tour. Due to his amazing performance in U-19 matches, he was selected as the captain for the U-19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia in 2008. He scored 235 runs and was the third-highest run-scorer. The Indian team emerged as the winner of the U-19 World Cup, and Kohli emerged as an emerging Indian batsman.

International Career

The international career of Virat Kohli took off in 2008 when Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag got injured during the Sri Lanka tour, leading to his debut at the young age of 19. Although he scored only 12 runs in his first match, he quickly made his mark with a half-century of 54 runs in the same series. Despite a packed Indian cricket team, Virat continued to perform well whenever he got the opportunity, gradually becoming one of the outstanding performers in international matches.

In 2011, Virat was selected to play in the World Cup, where he scored an unbeaten hundred in the first match against Bangladesh, becoming the first Indian player to do so in the debut match of the World Cup. In the final match of the tournament, he played a crucial role in India's victory over Sri Lanka, scoring 35 runs and forming an important partnership with Gautam Gambhir. Virat contributed a total of 282 runs in the tournament.

From then on, Virat's performances were consistently impressive. He contributed 176 runs in India's victory in the 2013 Champions Trophy and 305 runs when India reached the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup. In the 2019 World Cup, Virat contributed 443 runs with the bat, but the team lost in the semi-finals due to one bad match.

Indian Cricket Captain

Virat's captaincy journey started in 2014 when he became the captain of the Indian Test team following M.S. Dhoni's retirement from Test cricket. Later, he was also appointed the captain of the ODI and T20 teams when Dhoni stepped down from captainship.

IPL career

In the Indian Premier League, Virat has played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore since 2008 and became the team's captain in 2013. Despite achieving great success with the franchise, RCB has yet to win any IPL title.

Records and milestones

Virat holds many records and milestones in his career and is considered the number one batsman in the current era. He has brand endorsements with major companies like Audi, Puma, and Manyavar, and he is the only cricketer to feature in the Forbes list of top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world. Virat is also known for his social work, having started the Virat Kohli Charity Foundation in 2013 to help underprivileged kids.

Love life/ Marriage life

Virat is affectionately called "Chiku" by his U-19 teammate Ravindra Jadeja and Goswami, while he is also known as King Kohli, Run Machine, and Chase Machine. He got married to Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma in December 2017 in Florence, Italy, and they are popularly called "Virushka".

75th international century

In a recent cricket match against Australia, Virat Kohli broke multiple records, becoming the highest run-scorer for India in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 297 runs from four matches at an average of 49.50. He also scored his 28th Test century after a gap of more than three years, finishing at a score of 186 off 364 balls in India's first innings of the match. This innings helped him bring up his 75th international century, putting an end to a wait of 1205 days. Virat Kohli continues to inspire and captivate cricket fans worldwide with his passion, consistency, hard work, determination, fitness, and aggressive playing style.