10 things you did not know about Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has many cricket records for IndiaThe year was 2008 and India had just won the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia, that's probably when the Indians first heard of a player by the name Virat Kohli. Kohli was not only the captain of this victorious team but was also the highest run scorer for India in the tournament.Seven years hence, the man is leading the Indian cricket test team which many say is the second most scrutinized job in the country after that of the Prime Minister. Apart from being the captain he is also arguably the most admired cricketer in the nation currently and rightly so. He has carried on the legacy left by the Fab 4 (Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman) of the Indian middle order.In the process, he has broken many records set by these great players and in due course of time, god willing, he may overtake many of them. Tendulkar had once told that Kohli is one of those guys who has the potential to break his records.He already has the distinction of being the fastest Indian to reach 1000, 3000, 4000, 5000 & 6000 ODI runs. But as great players say, Records just happen. The optimist will say that he is destined to do much more.Now I dont know about destiny but in my opinion he has to continue the good work for the sake of Indian cricket. And being an ardent fan of Indian cricket I sincerely hope that he continues his good form and takes Indian cricket to greater heights.Today, as he celebrates his 27th birthday heres anattempt to look at some of the things that an average fan may not know about him.

#10 Karishma ka Karishma

Virat Kohli has been dating actress Anushka Sharma for a while now

Well today, Virat Kohli may be seen around with Bollywood diva Anushka Sharma.

But Kohli once revealed that his first crush was none other than actress Karishma Kapoor. So, it looks like he has had a liking for Bollywood actresses since a long time.

#9 Named as the sixth most marketable athlete by British magazine Sports Pro in 2015

Kohli has a number of endorsements

This may not come as a surprise given Kohli’s fan following and the number of endorsements he has. Virat Kohli was named as the sixth most marketable athlete by the British Magazine “Sports Pro” in 2015.

This list was topped by Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard who reached the semi-finals at the Australian and French Opens and the Wimbledon final last year.

#8 Was included in the list of top 10 well dressed international men in 2012

Kohli exudes elegance on and off the pitch

It is not always necessary that style comes with money. We have seen a lot of famous personalities who do not have a great dressing sense. But when it comes to Virat Kohli, it looks like that he has taken his dressing as seriously as his batting.

In fact, in 2012 he was included in the list of top 10 well dressed international men. A list which also included the US President Barack Obama.

#7 From Cheeku to Skipper Kohli

Kohli has grown from the nickname his state coach had given him into the Indian Test skipper

Today he is one of the most sought after cricketers in the world, but not so long ago he was just a “Cheeku” in Delhi cricket circles. Yes, that’s the nickname his state coach Ajit Choudhary had given to him.

This name was given to Kohli when he had come a with a new hair style to show to his coach. Amused at his look Choudhary responded by telling that he was looking like “Cheeku” from the comic series Champak. And the name has stuck since then.

#6 Continued to play Ranji match despite the death of his father on the same day

Virat Kohli scored 90 runs for his side on the day his father expired

The nation was in tears when Sachin Tendulkar returned to play for India in the 1999 world cup despite the death of his father and it indeed was a selfless act by the master batsman. But not many people know that Kohli was faced with a similar dilemma pretty early in his career.

In his debut Ranji season in 2006, Kohli lost his father during a match against Karnataka. In spite of this personal loss, Kohli continued to play the match on the same day on which his father expired and scored 90 runs for his team.

#5 Viv Richards once said Kohli reminds him of himself

Kohli and Viv Richards: Cut from the same cloth?

It is always a nice feeling when a former great compares you with himself. The fans of the 90s will remember the kind of euphoria that the Indian fans had experienced when the great Sir Don Bradman had compared Sachin Tendulkar to himself.

Now, move over the comparison between Sir Don & Tendulkar, the West Indian great Sir Vivian Richards regarded as the most destructive batsman in the history of the game once said, “Kohli reminds me of myself”.

This coming from Viv is indeed a big compliment for Kohli and just highlights the manner in which Kohli goes about in his batting. His fearless and aggressive approach has given him a strike rate of close to 90 in ODIs. In tests, he can provide stability to the innings and can also accelerate when required.

#4 Only Indian to score a century on World Cup debut (100* against Bangladesh in 2011 World Cup)

Cometh the hour, cometh the man

One stage every cricketer dreams of performing on is the ODI World Cup and sometimes the enormity of the platform gets the better of the player. But this is not the case with Kohli, he seems to relish these big stages.

He became the first Indian (and till date the only Indian) to score a century in his World Cup debut match. Kohli scored an unbeaten century against Bangladesh in the 2011 World Cup. His century in the match was overshadowed by Virender Sehwag’s 175.

To give a perspective of this record, there are only 14 players in the history of the World Cup to have scored a century in their World Cup debut match.

#3 Holds the record for the highest individual score against Pakistan (183 at Dhaka)

Always a thorn in Pakistan’s side

Given our history of rivalry against Pakistan, we Indians admire people who perform well against our neighbors from across the border. People still remember Hrishikesh Kanitkar for the match winning boundary that he had hit off Pakistan’s Saqlain Mushtaq at Dhaka in 1998.

Given the kind of pressure that one has to cope with every time India plays against Pakistan, it is indeed commendable that Kohli holds the record for the highest ODI score against the Pakistanis.

He broke Brian Lara’s record of 156 when he scored 183 runs at Dhaka against a Pakistani attack comprising of Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Gul & Saeed Ajmal among others. His innings helped India chase down a mammoth target of 330 comfortably.

#2 Only player to have scored 3 centuries in his first 3 innings as captain

A leader by example

Virat Kohli has made a mockery of the belief that the pressure of captaincy tends to reflect in one’s batting. Although it is still early days in his captaincy career but the signs are promising. If anything, his batting has blossomed more with the challenge of captaincy. He is the only player to have scored 3 centuries in his first 3 innings as captain, which indeed is a rare feat.

He scored 115, 141 & 147 against the Australians in their own den down under. Interestingly Kohli went on to score a century in his fourth test as captain against Sri Lanka which gave him the distinction of scoring 4 centuries in first 4 tests as captain, a feat which the little master Sunil Gavaskar had achieved previously.

#1 Fastest century by an Indian in ODI (100 off 52 balls)

Has the game for all ocassions

Virat Kohli holds the record for the fastest century by an Indian in ODIs. He achieved this feat by scoring 100 of just 52 balls against the Australians at Jaipur in 2013. He broke his Delhi team-mate Virender Sehwag’s record, which was 60 balls.

Kohli’s century helped India to chase down a target of 360 runs in 43.3 overs. This was India’s highest successful chase in ODIs and also the second highest successful chase ever next only to South Africa’s 438 against Australia.

Incidentally, the record for the third fastest century by an Indian is also under Kohli’s name. He had scored a century of 61 balls in the same series against the Australians at Nagpur.