Indian cricketer
Virat Kohli is an Indian international cricketer and the former captain of the Indian national cricket team who plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and Delhi in domestic cricket.
He has received many accolades for his performances on the cricket field. He was recognized as the ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2012 and has won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, given to the ICC Cricketer of the Year, on two occasions, in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Subsequently, Kohli also won ICC Test Player of the Year and ICC ODI Player of the Year awards in 2018, becoming the first player to win both awards in the same year. Additionally, he was named the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for three consecutive years, from 2016 to 2018. At the national level, Kohli was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2013, the Padma Shri under the sports category in 2017 and the Khel Ratna award, India’s highest sporting honour, in 2018.
In 2016, he was ranked as one of the world’s most famous athletes by ESPN, and one of the most valuable athlete brands by Forbes. In 2018, Time magazine included him on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2020, he was ranked 66th in Forbes list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world for the year 2020 with estimated earnings of over $26 million. Kohli has been deemed one of the most commercially viable cricketers, with estimated earnings of ₹165 crore (US$21 million) in the year 2022.
In July 2006, Kohli was selected in the India Under-19 squad on its tour of England. He averaged 105 in the three-match ODI series against England Under-19s,[34] while also averaging 49 in the three-match Test series.[35] Following India Under-19’s success in both the ODI and Test series, the team’s coach Lalchand Rajput noted Kohli’s adeptness in facing both pace and spinbowling and expressed his admiration for profound technical prowess.[36] In September, the India Under-19 team toured Pakistan. In the first Test match, Kohli scored 63 and 28 as India won by 271 runs against Pakistan Under-19s. In the second match, he contributed 83 runs to India’s victory by 240 runs and an innings. He concluded the tour with 80 runs in the final ODI game at Lahore.[37] In early 2007, Kohli was a part of the India Under-19 team that toured New Zealand, where he scored 113 in the first Test match. The series ended in a draw with a 1–1 score line. In the following month, the team travelled to Malaysia for a tri-series against England Under-19s and Sri Lanka Under-19s, where Kohli did not get many opportunities to bat. In July–August, India Under-19 embarked on a tour for a tri-series against Sri Lanka Under-19s and Bangladesh Under-19s, where he did not score a half-century in any of the matches. However, he made a comeback with scores of 144 and an unbeaten 94 in the following Test series.[38]
In 2007, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced the Indian Premier League (IPL), a franchise-based Twenty20 league. Among the franchises, Royal Challengers Bangalore, owned by Vijay Mallya at the time, selected Kohli to join their team for a sum of $30,000 through a draft. This decision was influenced by Kohli’s performance in the Under-19 World Cup held in Malaysia.[310]
Kohli is considered as an enterprising batsman, possessing technical abilities and a dynamic playing demeanour.[419][420] His customarily batting position in ODl cricket is at number three, with a slightly open-chested stance,[421] and a resolute grip on the bottom handle of his bat. He has been noted for his agile footwork, expansive range of strokes, and his propensity for adeptly orchestrating innings whilst thriving in high-pressure situations.[422][423] In his batting technique, Kohli tends to favour playing grounded shots rather than attempting big hits. He is appreciated for his ability to execute wrist shots and his consistent prowess in the mid-wicket and cover region.[424][425]
