The greatest cricket player in today’s time; Virat Kohli. He has inspired many a players and taken the cricket world by storm. The capital of India, Delhi produced the best player of his era. Virat Kohli all of 30 has made heads turn with his trailblazing ways. He started playing cricket in his gully, like any other quintessential middle class Indian kid. His playing caught the eyes of his neighbours and parents alike, he was soon enrolled in a cricket academy for training. His coach exclaimed it was difficult to take him off the pitch even after practice.

Kohli first played for Delhi in the Under-15 team in Oct ’03 for the Polly-Umrigar Trophy. The 2003-04 saw Kohli become the captain of the Polly-Umrigar Trophy team. He was always a run-getter and a force to be reckoned with. In July 2006, he was selected for India Under-19 for its tour of England. The coach of the Under-19 team Lalchand Rajput exclaimed that “Kohli showed strong technical skills against both pace and spin.” In December of 2006 he shocked the nation with his dedication to the sport when he went from his game against Karnataka to his father’s funeral. He was praised for his commitment and determination towards the sport and the team. His mother said “Virat changed a bit after that day. Overnight he became a much more matured person. He took every match seriously. He hated being on the bench. It’s as if his life hinged totally on cricket after that day. Now, he looked like he was chasing his father’s dream which was his own too.”

Virat Kohli was known to be a very arrogant player with the shorter versions of the game bringing out the angry young man in him. Both in the IPL and the international level he had earned himself the tag of being an aggressor with the bad & with his words. He has since changed and matured to become the captain of the Indian team. He was the successor to MS Dhoni which are big shoes to fill.  He has led his team with flawless captaincy and fervour. Virat Kohli did the unthinkable and led his team to victory in Australia last year and for the first time in 70 years a foreign country won on Australian soil. His record overseas has been impeccable as he continues to lead the side.

For a 30 year old, Virat Kohli has achieved immense fame in the cricketing world. He has built his way up from scratch and proven time and again that he is a player that puts his money where his mouth is. He is a player that will always be a flash of lighting for all to see!

Let’s take a look at his long list of records:

• First cricketer to be awarded the top three ICC awards (Cricketer of the year, Test cricketer of the year and ODI cricketer of the year) in a single year.

Fastest century

• Fastest century by an Indian cricketer in ODIs (52 balls).

Milestones

• Fastest Indian to reach 1,000 runs in ODIs.
• Fastest Indian and third fastest in the world to reach 5,000 runs in ODIs.
• Fastest Indian and second fastest in the world to reach 6,000 runs in ODIs.
• Fastest Indian and second fastest in the world to reach 7,000 runs in ODIs.
• Fastest player in the world to reach 8,000 runs in ODIs.
• Fastest player in the world to reach 9,000 runs in ODIs.
• Fastest player in the world to reach 10,000 runs in ODIs.
• Fastest Indian and second fastest in the world to reach 10 centuries in ODIs.
• Fastest Indian and second fastest in the world to reach 15 centuries in ODIs.
• Fastest Indian and second fastest in the world to reach 20 centuries in ODIs.
• Fastest Indian and second fastest in the world to reach 25 centuries in ODIs.
• Fastest in the world to reach 30 centuries in ODIs.
• Fastest in the world to reach 35 centuries in ODIs.
• Second fastest in the world to reach 1,000 runs in T20Is.
• Fastest in the world to reach 15,000 international runs.
• Joint fastest batsman with Hashim Amla to reach 50 centuries across all forms of international cricket (348 innings).
• Only batsman in history to average more than 50 in Tests, ODIs and T20Is simultaneously; also possesses the highest combined average across all formats among Test players who have played in at least two formats.
• Highest historic rating points in the ICC rankings by an Indian batsman in Tests (937 points), ODIs (911 points) and T20Is (897 points) – achieved on 23 August 2018, 16 February 2018 and 7 September 2014 respectively.
• Fastest batsman, in terms of innings, to score 17,000 runs in international cricket (363).
• Crossed 900 ratings points in the ICC rankings in both Tests and ODIs – one amongst five batsmen to have done so and only the second batsman after AB De Villiers to do it simultaneously.
• First batsman to score 500 runs in a bilateral ODI series.
• Fastest in the world to score 2,000 runs in terms of innings in T20Is (56).
• First Indian cricketer to score three successive centuries in ODIs.

Most runs in a calendar year/series

• Most ODI runs in 2010 by an Indian cricketer.
• Most ODI runs in 2011 by any cricketer.
• Most ODI runs in 2012 by an Indian cricketer.
• Most ODI runs in 2013 by an Indian cricketer.
• Most ODI runs in 2014 by an Indian cricketer.
• Most ODI runs in 2016 by an Indian cricketer.
• Most Test runs in 2012 by an Indian cricketer.
• Most Test runs in 2015 by an Indian cricketer.
• Most Test runs in 2016 by an Indian cricketer.
• Most combined international runs scored in a year by an Indian cricketer – 2818 international runs in 2017.
• Most runs scored by an Indian cricketer in a three-match Test series – 610 runs against Sri Lanka in 2017.
• Most ODI runs in 2017 by any cricketer.
• Most runs in a bilateral ODI series by any cricketer – 558 runs against South Africa in 2018.
• Most runs by an Indian batsman in a calendar year in overseas Tests – 1138 in 2018.
• Most Test runs in 2018 by any cricketer.
• Most ODI runs in 2018 by any cricketer.

Captaincy records

• Most consecutive wins in Test series (9) as a captain from 2015–2017 (equal with Ricky Ponting from 2005–2008).
• First batsman to score three centuries in his first three innings as Test captain. He is also the second Test captain to score centuries in his first two Test innings after Greg Chapell.
• First Indian Test captain to score a double century overseas.
• First Indian Test captain to score two or more double centuries.
• Fastest captain to score 1000 ODI runs.
• First ever batsman to score double centuries in four consecutive Test series.
• Fastest captain to score 2000 ODI runs.
• First Indian captain to score a hundred and a duck in the same Test.
• First captain to score 10 international hundreds in a calendar year.
• Most Test centuries as a captain of India (12).
• Most double centuries by a captain in Tests (6).
• Most centuries (11) by a captain in a calendar year (2017).
• Most runs as captain of India in Tests.
• Most ODI centuries as a captain of India (13).
• First Test captain to score centuries in each game of a three-match Test series.
• Fastest captain to score 3000 ODI runs.
• First captain to score three successive centuries in ODIs.
• First Indian and Asian captain to win at least one Test in South Africa, England and Australia.