How Virat Kohli's records and legendary status have been growing with each passing year

“I have watched him closely during the past few weeks, often from the non-striker’s end, and I have marvelled at his confidence, his special ability to hit the ball into gaps in the field and his talent for pacing an innings to perfection”

“Virat Kohli is pure class, world class.”

This was what AB de Villiers had to say about the genius that is Virat Kohli. The Delhi-born lad, who started playing the 'Gentlemen's game' at a tender age of nine when his father took him to the West Delhi Cricket Academy, came into the limelight after leading the India U-19 team to the winner’s podium of the 2008 ICC U-19 World Cup.

Like we all know, he has never looked back since and is widely believed to be the best batsman in the sport. However, few have gone back to really note how Virat has slowly and steadily grown in stature and has become the Giant he is today.

Therefore, we at Sportskeeda took the liberty of compiling everything and analyse how the 27-year-old has improved with every passing year, to an extent where you think that now, for sure, there is no more scope for improvement.

But then, he walks out, with that 'MRF Genius' bat in his hands and sets an altogether higher benchmark, making us feel again that it is highly improbable he’ll give a better performance when he walks out next time. And the cycle goes on...

2008

Virat made his ODI debut on 18 August 2008 against Sri Lanka, opening the innings with Gautam Gambhir. He went on to score a half-century in the fourth match he played for the nation which gave us a glimpse as to what was to come. The then 19-year-old also played 13 matches for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first edition of the IPL.

Format	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	HS	100	50
ODIs	5	159	31.80	66.52	54	0	1
IPL	13	165	15.00	105.09	38	0	0

2009

The year 2009 saw Kohli score his maiden century for India. A 144-ball-107 against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata when India were chasing a daunting target of 316 runs, which they eventually did, thanks to Virat’s century and Gambhir’s unbeaten 150. The fact that he scored a half-century in the previous match of the series, a match which India went on to lose, must have spurred him to go that extra mile and ensure that the Men in Blue cross the line this time.

His performance in the IPL also saw a considerable improvement and he also got his first half-century in the T20 tournament.

Format	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	HS	100	50
ODIs	10	325	54.16	84.41	107	1	2
IPL	16	246	22.36	112.32	50	0	1

2010

2010, in a lot of ways, was probably Virat’s breakthrough season which saw him score almost 1000 runs in a calendar year in the ODIs. Probably, one of the most important innings of his career then was the one against Australia in Vishakhapatnam where he scored 118 runs to help India overcome Australia’s total of 289 runs. The seeds of being the best finisher the sport has ever seen were probably sown back then.

Another century in the next ODI against New Zealand made it almost certain that he will make it to the World Cup 2011 squad. Virat also made his T20 debut for India the same year and managed a score of 26* against Zimbabwe in Harare. Because that was the only T20 innings he played that year so we have not included those numbers in the table below.

Format	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	HS	100	50
ODIs	25	995	47.38	85.11	118	3	7
IPL	16	307	27.90	144.80	58	0	1

2011

First World Cup match and a century. The then 22-year-old Virat Kohli literally forced everyone to take note of him and proved that he has nerves made of steel. Being a part of the World Cup-winning side with such big names surely taught him a lot as for the first time he crossed the 1000-run mark in a calendar year in ODIs.

Kohli also took a step up to the purest form of sport, Test Cricket. On 20 June 2011, against West Indies at Sabina Park in Kingston, he made his debut, not a very great one but the expectations were slowly and steadily gaining pace.

In the IPL that year, the Delhi lad crossed 500 runs and was the second-highest run getter after Chris Gayle in the tournament. However, the duo failed to help RCB clinch their first IPL title, something that has eluded them in the subsequent years as well.

Format	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	HS	100	50
ODIs	34	1381	47.62	85.56	117	4	8
Test	5	202	22.44	-	63	0	2
T20Is	4	61	15.25	117.30	28	0	0
IPL	16	557	46.41	121.08	71	4	0

2012

Virat’s average in the ODIs sky-rocketed in the year 2012 as he started going the distance after getting a good start. That he struck 5 centuries and 3 half-centuries are a testament to the fact. He scored an astonishing 1026 runs in just 17 ODIs at a swashbuckling average of 68.40.

However, he made the headlines on 24 January 2012 at the Adelaide Oval. India had already lost the test series after Australia completely dominated them in the first three tests. Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke scored double-centuries and the hosts posted a huge total of 604 runs on the board.

The Indian batsmen were falling like a pack of cards and when Virat came out to bat at number 6, all the Indian greats barring Laxman were already back in the pavilion.

Kohli took the fight to the Australians, he held one end and scored his maiden Test century, a gritty 116 runs and was the last Indian batsman to get out. Though India went on to lose the match but the 23-year-old had shown that he can carry the burden of the team once we lose the golden generation of batsmen.

His performances in the T20Is also saw a considerable amount of improvement that year as he struck four half-centuries and scored at an average of 39.25.

Format	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	HS	100	50
ODIs	17	1026	68.40	93.78	183	5	3
Test	9	689	49.21	-	116	3	3
T20Is	14	471	39.25	132.67	78*	0	4
IPL	16	364	28.00	111.65	73*	0	2

2013

For the third year running, Kohli crossed the 1000-run mark in ODIs. This was the time when people started comparing him with the greatest of batsmen who graced the game. Virat was scoring runs left, right and centre and the world stood in awe applauding his brilliance.

He scored a test century in South Africa, leading the batting line-up of a new-look Indian test team. The RCB batsman got 634 runs in the IPL as well, the third highest run-getter in the edition after Gayle and Mike Hussey.

However, sterner tests were waiting for him as India were to tour New Zealand, England and Australia next year.

Format	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	HS	100	50
ODIs	34	1268	52.83	97.53	115*	4	7
Test	8	616	56.00	-	119	2	3
IPL	16	634	45.28	138.73	99	0	6

2014

At McLean Park in Napier, Kohli played a brilliant 123 runs knock to take the team fairly close to a win. However, he lost his wicket to Mitchell McClenaghan and India went on to lose the match. This was the first time that the Men in Blue lost a match when Kohli scored a century while chasing. Although that did not deter him one bit from the path as he scored 3 more centuries and 5 half centuries in the year.

A tough test series against England saw many raise questions on his technique of playing the ball outside off stump. The swing of the wicket and the English bowlers made it all too hard for him. But, as we all know from the fact that he came back to bat for Delhi even after the demise of his father, Kohli learned a lot from the dismal performance in England and never looked back.

He went on to score three centuries against Australia in their own backyard. 2 hundreds in 2 innings at the Adelaide Oval, probably his favourite hunting ground and then one at the MCG.

The T20 World Cup also took place that year and Virat scored 319 runs in 6 matches, but India went on to lose the final to Sri Lanka. He was also named player of the tournament but the look on his face after the final told the whole story.

Format	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	HS	100	50
ODIs	21	1054	58.55	99.62	139*	4	5
Test	10	847	44.57	-	169*	4	2
T20Is	7	385	96.25	133.68	77	0	5
IPL	14	359	27.61	122.10	73	0	2

2015

The first test match of the year was at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Kohli was handed the captaincy of the side after MS Dhoni decided to retire from the longest format of the game midway through the test series. Always ready to step up his game under pressure, Kohli played a knock of 147 runs in the very first innings as a captain.

The right-hander had yet another brilliant season with the bat in the IPL, scoring in excess of 500 runs with 3 half-centuries. However, a T20 century was something which was still missing from his stats.

Format	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	HS	100	50
ODIs	20	623	36.64	80.59	138	2	1
Test	9	640	42.66	-	147	2	2
T20Is	2	44	22.00	157.14	43	0	0
IPL	16	505	45.90	130.82	82*	0	3

2016

The year started with an ODI series against Australia down under. Virat smashed 2 half centuries and 2 centuries in the five-match series. In the three-match T20 series after the ODI one, he scored 90*, 59* and 50. No one had the minutest of ideas what was to follow.

In the World T20, Kohli finished the second highest run-getter with 273 runs in 5 innings at an astonishing average of 136.50. His innings of 82* against Australia in the Super 10 was one of the best T20 innings the World had ever seen. Virat scored 89 in the semifinal against West Indies as well but India failed to win the match. Another man of the tournament for him, but boy did he deserve the winner's medal.

Virat carried his form in the IPL and we all are completely aware of what happened next. He did not even have a single T20 century before the tournament but the genius went on to score four (yes, FOUR!) in the span of 14 matches.

Format	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	HS	100	50
ODIs	5	381	76.20	99.20	117	2	2
T20Is	13	625	125.00	139.5	90*	0	7
IPL*	14	919	91.9	152.4	113	4	6

The way he has improved his game with every passing year and has taken every challenge and failure as a stepping stone to move towards the top, Virat Kohli is certainly a name we, the Cricket lovers, will remember for a long long time to come.

*The stats mentioned do not include the IPL 2016 playoffs as the article was written before it.