Overview

Virat Kohli is unlike any of his Indian cricket contemporaries. He has an Aussie-like demeanor, is a fierce competitor to the core, a superhuman with a cricket bat in hand, and above all carries the immense self-belief to consistently deliver superlative performances for India on the cricket pitch.

Career Brief

Right from the day Virat Kohli lifted the U19 World Cup Trophy in Kuala Lumpur in early 2008, everyone knew a star was born. He was different from the rest—he had tattoos on his arms, an uncontrolled aggression, and a desire to take on the world head-on. In the second half of 2008, he was quickly promoted to the national cricket team.

• When did Virat Kohli score his maiden century?

It only took him over a year to crack his maiden century in ODIs against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in December 2009. With MS Dhoni as the captain in charge of the Indian cricket team, Kohli enjoyed ample opportunities across formats, and he delivered for Team India, especially in run chases.

He was also a part of the 2011 World Cup winning squad and scored a century in the opening match against Bangladesh in Dhaka. Kohli also made an invaluable contribution of 43 runs in the 2013 Champions Trophy Final against England, the last ICC title won by India till date.

• The breakthrough Test ton in Adelaide

After making his mark in ODIs, Kohli’s next target was to prove his mettle in Test cricket. After a disappointing Test debut against the West Indies in June 2011, Kohli tasted success against a fiery Australian attack in Adelaide in December 2012. He brought up his maiden Test century, and since then he has added 26 more in red-ball cricket.

Though he made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in 2010, Kohli made the world take notice of his batting exploits in cricket’s shortest format at the 2014 and 2016 editions of the T20 World Cup, in which he also finished as the leading run-scorer. When all the teams were busy packing hard hitters in the XI, Kohli focused on timing, running hard between the wickets, and incredible consistency levels to become the best batter across all three formats.

Kohli was also named the 2012 ICC ODI cricketer of the year. In 2020, he was also named the ICC ODI cricketer of the decade.

By 2012, Kohli had become a huge name after his exploits in international cricket, but his association with IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore dates back to 2008. He is the only cricketer to have played all 15 seasons with a single franchise.

• Fastest to 25 thousand international runs

Virat Kohli is the proud record holder of being fastest to 25 thousand runs in international cricket. He achieved the feat during the Delhi Test against Australia in 2023 Border Gavaskar Trophy. Virat Kohli achieved the feat in only his 492 match for India across formats.

The Journey

Having played for the country for 15 years, Kohli has seen his fair share of ups and downs. Fortunately, for the Indian cricket fans, there have been more ups than downs. 

From a promising youngster with an X-factor in his performances and attitude, Kohli became the backbone of India’s batting lineup across formats. Between 2012 and 2019, Kohli enjoyed unparalleled success across formats. 

• Winning ICC accolades

He is the only cricketer to have won back-to-back ICC cricketer of the year awards in 2018 and 2019. He took the mantle of captaincy from MS Dhoni in Tests in January 2015 and then two years later as a white-ball format skipper. His performances only got better after he became the captain, be it in red-ball or white-ball cricket. Under his leadership, India won Test series in Australia and the West Indies and dominated at home. 

The dip in his performances came between November 2019 and September 2022, during which he wasn’t able to score even a single hundred across formats. The drought ended in the 2022 Asia Cup, where he scored his 71st international hundred, surprisingly in the T20 format against Afghanistan. Since then, he has added three more, all in ODIs, to take the tally to 74.

In 2023 alone, he has scored two ODI tons and is now 26 away from equaling Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 international hundreds.

The Technique

Virat Kohli is a predominantly bottom-handed cricketer, which helps him generate exquisite timing and tremendous bat speed. To go with his malleable wrists and impeccable shot selection, he makes batting look damn easy against both pace and spin. He doesn’t often charge down the pitch to bowlers, but he can be just as destructive when the team needs him to be. His fitness levels help him play long innings, especially in ODIs. Kohli’s technique is compact, which has helped him take his game to extraordinary heights. His favorite shots include the short-arm whip, pull, jab, cover drive, and through midwicket.

Technical Shortcoming

After tasting continued success between 2011 and 2014, Kohli’s major downfall came during the 2014 series against England in England. Veteran pacer James Anderson got the better of him and his constant ploy of bowling outside the off-stump highlighted Kohli’s first major weakness to the cricket fraternity. 

With time, Kohli worked on this major flaw, and has improved, but on pitches lacking true bounce and aiding seam movement, it brings about his downfall. In the period between 2019 and 2022, Kohli struggled against left-arm bowling, and especially against spinners across formats.

Player Net worth

As of January 2023, Virat Kohli’s net worth is around $122 million. This accounts to his monthly income being above Rs 4 Crore. Kohli is not only the highest paid Indian cricketer but also the world’s richest cricket player. 

Virat is a Grade A player, according to the BCCI central contracts. He receives an annual retainer fee of $190,000 (1.25 crore) and earns Rs 5 lakh, Rs 3 lakh, and Rs 1.50 lakh for playing a Test, ODI, and T20I, respectively.

As per Forbes, Wikipedia and other sources, Kohli makes around Rs 50 crore per year. His major earnings come from endorsements that account for more than Rs 17 Crore.

Manyavar, Pepsi, Cinthol Deo, Boost, Fastrack, Reebok, Godrej, Head & Shoulders, and Nestle India are among the companies with which Kohli has signed deals. 

Kohli has made investments in Blue Tribe, Chisel Fitness, Nueva, Galactus Funware Technology Pvt. Ltd., Sport Convo, and Digit.