India’s leading batsman and Test Cricket Captain, Virat Kohli has come a long way since winning the U-19 World Cup against South Africa in Malaysia. Kohli has already achieved a great amount of success in a short span of time and still has his best years ahead of him.
His transformation from an aggressive young player to a matured well-composed batsman has been seamless and has lifted him above the rest of the players in the World.
Virat Kohli birthday, age and background:
The dashing Indian cricketer was born on the 5th of November in 1988 in Delhi and is currently 27 years of age. Kohli was raised in a Punjabi family by his father, Prem Kohli, and mother, Saroj Kohli. He spent his childhood in Uttam Nagar and did his schooling at Vishal Bharti Public School.
As a kid, Kohli showed great interest in Cricket and in 1998, he was admitted to the West Delhi Cricket Academy. Virat was coached by Rajkumar Sharma at the academy and also took part in matches that were played at the Sumeet Dogra Academy.
With a view to improving his game, Kohli switched to the Saviour Convent Senior Secondary School in Paschim Vihar and was also considered bright in his studies.
In October 2002, Kohli made his debut for the Delhi Under-15 team and took part in the Polly Umrigar Trophy (2002-03). He ended up being the highest run-getter in that tournament with 172 runs and at an average of 34.40.
Virat made instant progress as he was named the captain for the 2003-04 Polly Umrigar Trophy, scoring 390 runs in 5 matches that included a couple of centuries and a couple of the fifties. Kohli, later on, played for the Delhi Under-17s and played in the Vijay Merchant Trophy where he scored 470 runs in 4 innings at an average of 117.50 that included a couple of centuries with a high score of 251*.
In the next season, Kohli reached his top form, scoring 757 runs in 7 innings at an average of 84.11 and finished as the highest run-getter in the tournament.
It soon became evident that Kohli was a special talent as he made his List-A debut for Delhi in 2006. In the same year, Kohli was selected to play for the India Under-19s and impressed everyone on the tour to England where he averaged 105 in 3 ODIs and 49 in the 3 Test matches.
Consistency became Kohli’s biggest plus point as he averaged 58 against Pakistan in the Tests and 41 in the ODIs. Kohli made his First-class debut against Tamil Nadu in 2006 and scored 10 runs in his debut innings.
Virat’s biggest break came when he captained the Indian Team in the 2008 World U-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia and guided them to a win in a tense final against South Africa. Kohli scored 235 runs in 6 matches at an average of 47 and finished as the third highest run-getter in the tournament.
After a successful stint in the World Cup, Kohli was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League and also gained a scholarship to train for six weeks at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, Australia. Kohli made his ODI debut for India against Sri Lanka in 2008 and also scored a half-century in the series, filling up the absence of injured players, Tendulkar and Sehwag at the top order.
Virat Kohli family:
Virat’s father, Prem Kohli, was a criminal lawyer and mother, Saroj Kohli is a housewife. Kohli has two siblings, an elder brother (Vikash Kohli) and an elder sister (Bhavna Kohli) During his childhood, Virat’s passion for cricket was spotted by his family and his father made him join a cricket academy. However, Prem Kohli died in 2006 due to a brain stroke after being bed-ridden for a month.
In an interview, Kohli said, “I’ve seen a lot in my life. Losing my father at a young age, the family business not doing too well, staying in a rented place. There were tough times for the family...It’s all embedded in my memory”. Looking back on his father, Kohli said, “My father was my biggest support. He was the one who drove me to practice every day. I miss his presence sometimes”.
Virat Kohli House:
Kohli’ s family had been residing in Meera bagh in West Delhi and used to live in a society named, “Virat Vihar” , as a gesture by the members of the society for Virat Kohli. Kohli shifted to his current house in 2015. His bungalow extends to an area of 500 yards and is situated in Punjabi bagh.
The Indian cricketer recently purchased a ‘Sky Bungalow’ in Mumbai that is priced at Rs 34 Crore. The bungalow that is situated on the 34th floor, is said to have 7,171 square feet with a view of the sea. Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh has also purchased a house on the 29th floor. However, the work on the luxurious house is expected to be completed only in 2018.
Virat Kohli Net Worth:
Kohli's net worth is believed to be around 15 million USD and he is already one of the richest cricketers in the World currently, with earnings from his salary as a part of the Indian Cricket Team, the Indian Premier League (Royal Challengers Bangalore), and various endorsement deals.
Read more: Virat Kohli’s net worth
The 27-year-old batsman is one of the most popular cricketers in the World and has endorsed a number of brands in his career so far that include Adidas, Audi, Colgate-Palmolive, Boost, Pepsico, Tissot, TVS motors, Herbalife, MRF, Smaash, Nitesh Estates, United Spirits, and Vicks. His bat deal with MRF is said to be the costliest in the history of Indian Cricket.
Virat Kohli Records:
Since his International debut at the age of 19, Virat has done wonders for the Indian cricket and has already broken numerous records. The Indian cricketer holds the records for the fastest century by an Indian cricketer in ODIs that he achieved in just 52 deliveries.
He is the fastest Indian cricketer to reach 1000 runs in ODIs and also the fastest in the World to reach 7,000 runs in ODIs. Kohli holds the unique record of scoring 3 consecutive centuries in his first 3 innings as a Test Captain and is also the first Indian Test captain to score a double hundred overseas.
Virat Kohli tattoos:
Virat Kohli loves to get himself inked and prefers to get tattoos that showcase his personality. As quoted by Men’s Health, Virat said, “I love tattoos. And mine symbolizes who I really am”. Kohli has six tattoos on his left hand and in a video that was posted by Unscriptd, he explains the significance of each one. He also has a monastery tattoo that symbolizes peace and power, Lord Shiva meditating, a Japanese samurai warrior, his parents' name in Hindi, Test and ODI cap numbers, God’s eye and the symbol of ‘Om’.
Read more: Virat Kohli tattoos and their meaning
Virat Kohli Instagram, Twitter and Facebook:
Virat Kohli has a verifies ‘Twitter’ and ‘Facebook’ accounts. Kohli’s verified Facebook account goes by the name ‘Virat Kohli’. He operates his twitter account under the handle ‘@imVkohli’ where he shares his new hairstyles, pictures of him training in the gym and day-to-day life experiences.
Kohli shares a selfie with team-mate Ravindra Jadeja.
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma:
Virat met Anushka in 2013 during a TV commercial and they became friends in the process. The pair was even spotted in several places and rumours were flying around about them dating each other during the time.
Anushka made appearances in cricket stadiums whereas Kohli would surprise Anushka on the sets of Bombay Velvet and also visited her on her birthday when she was shooting for PK in Udaipur. The two, of course, did not openly admit being in a relationship until the November of 2014, Virat ended all the rumours as he blew a flying kiss towards Anushka Sharma (who was a spectator) during the game against Sri Lanka after scoring a century.
The pair has been through tough times during the 2015 World Cup when Virat’s failure in the semi-final was blamed on Anushka Sharma’s presence in the stadium. It was then that Virat openly came in support of Anushka and posted a message.
Virat Kohli Centuries:
The 27-year-old has hit 25 centuries in ODIs and has 12 centuries to his name in Test Cricket. Most of Virat’s centuries have come against the big teams and in pressure situations. Virat’s first ODI century came against Sri Lanka in Kolkata that ended in an Indian victory.
His maiden Test century came against the Australians in their own backyard where he was dismissed after scoring 116. One of Virat’s special innings came against Sri Lanka in Hobart, Australia where he scored an unbeaten 133 with a strike-rate of 154 as India had to chase down a target in excess of 320 within 40 overs to stay alive in the triangular series and full credit to Kohli as India chased down the total in 36 overs.
Kohli is the fastest player in the World to reach 25 centuries in ODIs.
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