Virat Kohli records: 5 unbelievable records held by Kohli

Making a mark. Stamping one’s authority. Moulding a legacy.

As each sportsperson readies to take the field, the ultimate desire to excel by exceeding all expectations runs forth. With the fine picture of the former legends flashing by at regular intervals, he yearns for his own spot amidst the greats of the game.

The dream starts with playing for the country. It unfolds into the first Test ton. Small milestones are then set, to be breached as the career progresses. While the ordinary convince themselves with the small successes accorded, the best ones refuse to stay silent even after the world around them continues to applaud their efforts.

Pushing ahead for greater glories and higher pinnacles, these players slowly continue to conquer it all, breaking and making their own records. The legacy of these players lingers on, with their contributions standing the test of times.

Starting off as a brash youngster, Virat Kohli, through sheer hardwork and a strict regime has toppled all competition to cement his place as one of the finest cricketers in the modern era and in the process has scripted some of the most unbelievable records in the cricketing world.

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The story of 4 successive double-centuries

Four series. Four successive double centuries. The first player to do so.

With India slated to play 17 Test matches from July 2016 to March 2017, skipper Virat Kohli took the phrase “leading from the front” in all sincerity, scoring double-centuries at will. The Delhiite started his streak against the West Indies, scoring his maiden double hundred at Antigua, thus becoming the first Indian skipper to score a double ton away from home.

He carried forward his perfectly timed 200 against the West Indians in the very next series against New Zealand with yet another brilliant knock of 211 in the 3rd Test match at Indore. Kohli refused to show any signs of faltering in the following series against England as well, notching up his third double century in Mumbai, with a trademark knock of 235 runs.

Just when the fraternity had unanimously termed him as the finest batsman of the present era, he vindicated the praises with yet another 204 over a hapless Bangladesh, in the one-off Test succeeding the England series.

4 series. 4 double hundreds. Surpassing Sir Don Bradman and Rahul Dravid, who had three double hundreds in consecutive series, Kohli also became the first ever Test captain to score 3 or more double hundreds in a single season.

With an astonishing 1252 runs scored in 12 matches at home courtesy his gutsy knocks, the 28-year old now holds the record for the most runs in a home season as captain, surpassing Graham Gooch’s tally of 1058, which had been made way back in 1990.

The run machine in big chases

Kohli thrives in run chases, scoring the most number of hundreds by any cricketer while batting second

The real testament of any cricketer’s mettle comes to the fore in situations that are defined by pressure and anxiety. While chasing a target, the player’s ability to handle their nerves whilst keeping pace with the climbing asking rate and guiding the team towards the finish line is what segregates the mortals from the champions. And this is where Kohli thrives.

In 109 ODI matches while chasing, Kohli has notched up 18 centuries in just 102 innings, beating the previous record of 17 hundreds in run chases that was held by Sachin Tendulkar.

More importantly, 16 of his 18 centuries while chasing have resulted in a victory for the team, once again beating Tendulkar’s record of 15 hundreds in successful chases, giving him an average of 97.97!

Kohli’s average of 66.26 in run chases in ODI’s is the highest by any batsman who has played a minimum of 17 One Day Internationals. All these figures point to an individual who refuses to remain bogged down in moments of adversary, deciding to display his finest skills instead.

A dream start to his Test captaincy

King Kohli had a dream start to his Test captaincy, scoring three centuries in as many innings

With captain MS Dhoni ruled out of the first Test match between India and Australia in Adelaide due to injury in 2014, Virat Kohli was handed the reins in his absence. With Australia piling on a massive 517/7d on the board, the onus was on the Indian Test team, led by a young captain, to start the series on a high.

Kohli smashed 115 runs in India’s total of 444 in the first innings and repeated this feat with a thrilling 141 in a tense second innings chase, where India eventually ended up 48 runs short of Australia’s target of 363.

Dhoni returned to the fold as Indian skipper in the next two matches but just after the third Test concluded, he announced his retirement with immediate effect and Kohli was entrusted with the leadership of the team starting with the fourth Test match at Sydney.

At the SCG, in reply to Australia’s 572, India huffed their way to 475 in the first innings, with Kohli bringing up his fourth hundred in the series with a fluent 147. In doing so, he became the first Test captain in the history of the game to score three hundreds in his first three innings.

The ‘Indian run-feast League’

Kohli made the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League his own by notching up 973 runs- the most by any player in any season of a domestic T20 league

The Indian emphatically made the 2016 edition of the Indian Premier League his own by smashing 4 unbelievable centuries en-route his tournament tally of 973 runs in 16 matches, breaking the previous best IPL record of 733, held by Chris Gayle in IPL 2012 and Michael Hussey in 2013.

In the ninth edition of the IPL, Kohli scored four tons, two against Gujarat Lions and one each against Rising Pune Supergiants and Kings XI Punjab. The one against Punjab stood out in particular due to the attacking stroke-play that was on display by Kohli, who was battling an injured thumb. Moreover, he managed the unthinkable by cracking a hundred in a reduced 15-over game, bringing up 113 runs in just 50 deliveries!

The four centuries in the IPL beat the previous record held by Chris Gayle, who had smashed two hundreds in the 2011 edition of the league. Kohli also overtook Michael Klinger’s record of three centuries, that had been scored in the Natwest T20 Blast in 2015 for Gloucestershire, which had till then been the highest number of hundreds by a player in any season of a T20 tournament.

A T20I career to boast of!

Kohli continues to write records in the shortest format of the game as well

Not only has Kohli stamped his authority in the white flannels and the 50-over format, he continues to rewrite records in the shortest format of the game as well.

2016 was a phenomenal year for the maverick, as he became the first batsman to score in excess of 600 T20I runs in a calendar year. His 641 runs in just 13 innings comprised 7 half-centuries, at an average of 106.83 with a strike rate of 140.26!

In the process he also became the fastest to the 1000-run mark in T20I’s, achieving the record in just 27 innings, beating the feat of England’s Kevin Pietersen who had taken 32 knocks to accomplish the same. He also has the most number of half-centuries in this format, a total of 16 fifties, beating the earlier record of 15 that was held by Chris Gayle.