Cricket fans from all over the world often debate who is the best player in cricket. However, many believe that India’s very own Virat Kohli holds the title of the ‘King of Cricket.’ His exceptional batting, remarkable consistency, and charismatic leadership have solidified his status as a cricketing legend. Have a look at Virat Kohli’s numbers in all formats of cricket
Virat Kohli- “The True King of Cricket”
Read about Virat Kohli’s career and statistics
Virat Kohli ODI Career
In August 2008, Kohli got picked for the ODI team to play in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. During the Sri Lankan tour, because the regular openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were injured, Kohli had to step up as an opener. He made his ODI debut on August 18, 2008, at 19 years old, but got out for 12 runs. However, in the fourth match of the series, he scored his first fifty in ODIs, making 54 runs.
However, the turning point in his ODI career came only in January 2010, when he got to play in a tri-nation ODI tournament in Bangladesh because Sachin Tendulkar was taking a break. During the tournament, he became the third Indian player to score two ODI centuries before turning 22, and ended up being the top scorer of the series, making 275 runs in five innings at an average of 91.66.
He was India’s leading run-scorer in ODIs in 2010, having scored 995 runs in 25 matches at an average of 47.38.
Kohli holds several records in ODI cricket, some of which came at the 2023 ODI World Cup. During the World Cup match against Sri Lanka, Kohli achieved a big milestone by scoring the most 1000 runs in a year. This was the eighth time he achieved this, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record of seven times. Then, on November 5, 2023, during the match against South Africa, Kohli scored his 49th century, equalling Tendulkar’s record of 49 centuries. In the semi-final against New Zealand, he scored his 50th ODI century. Kohli now has the most centuries in ODI cricket.
Virat Kohli Test Career
During India’s tour of the West Indies in June–July 2011, many key players were unavailable due to injuries, so India fielded a relatively inexperienced squad, including Kohli, who was one of three new players in the Test team. Kohli debuted in the first Test match of the series but struggled, scoring only 76 runs in five innings.
Following his disappointing debut series, Kohli was dropped from the Test squad for India’s series in England.
However, he continued to impress in the ODI format and was subsequently recalled to the Test team. In October 2011, Kohli was the top run-scorer in the five-match ODI series against England, which India won 5–0. He scored a total of 270 runs in five matches at an average of 90.
Kohli is currently the only active player to have most double centuries in Test cricket (7). Overall, he has 8848 runs in 113 Tests at an average of 49.15. This includes 29 centuries.
Read More: Who Has Scored Most Runs in IPL
Virat Kohli T20I Career
Virat made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2010. In his debut match at 21 years old, Kohli showed promise. India was struggling at 4/48 while chasing 112 runs when Virat, along with Yusuf Pathan, turned the game around. Together, they scored 64 runs unbeaten, leading India to victory with six wickets and five overs to spare. Virat scored 26* off 21 balls with three fours and a six, while Pathan scored 37* off 24 balls with 2 fours and three sixes. This marked the beginning of Virat’s journey to becoming a T20 cricket star.
Kohli is currently the highest run-scorer in the format. In 117 T20I matches, Kohli has amassed 4037 runs at an average of 51.75 and a strike rate of 138.15.
Kohli has participated in five T20 World Cups (2012, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022). Since his debut in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20, he has played 25 innings in T20 World Cups, averaging 81.50. Kohli also holds the record for the most runs scored in T20 World Cup history, with 1141 runs in 25 innings.
Virat Kohli IPL Career
Kohli has been an integral part of RCB since the inception of the IPL in 2008. He made his IPL debut for RCB in the inaugural season and has remained with the team ever since, becoming synonymous with the franchise.
As a batsman, Kohli has consistently been one of the top performers in the IPL. He has amassed over 6000 runs in the tournament, making him the highest run-scorer in IPL history. He also holds the record for scoring the most centuries in the IPL (7).
Virat Kohli Captaincy and Statistics
| Format | Current Rankings | Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | Centuries (100s) | Fifties (50s) |
| Test | 6 | 113 | 8848 | 254 | 49.15 | 55.56 | 29 | 30 |
| ODI | 3 | 292 | 13848 | 183 | 58.67 | 93.58 | 50 | 72 |
| T20I | 44 | 117 | 4037 | 122* | 51.75 | 138.15 | 1 | 37 |
| Indian T20 League | – | 237 | 7263 | 113 | 37.25 | 130.02 | 7 | 50 |
Virat Kohli is widely regarded as one of the most successful Test captains in cricket history. He captained India in 68 Test matches, the most by any Indian captain in the longest format, surpassing the previous record held by MS Dhoni. Under Kohli’s leadership, India won 40 Test matches, making him the most successful Test captain for India. His success rate of 58.8% is the best for any Indian captain in Test cricket. Kohli also performed remarkably well with the bat during his captaincy stint, maintaining an impressive average of 55.36 in Test cricket and scoring a total of 5703 runs.
In ODIs, Kohli led India in 95 matches, winning 65 and losing 27, with 3 matches ending in No Result or tie. He ranks as the fourth most successful ODI captain for India. With the bat in ODIs, Kohli scored 5549 runs as India’s captain, the second highest for an Indian captain after MS Dhoni.
In T20Is, Kohli captained India in 50 matches, winning 30 and losing 16. He scored 1570 runs as India’s T20I captain, ranking fourth among captains with the most runs in T20Is.
Kohli is the second most successful T20I captain for India, behind MS Dhoni, who holds the record for the most wins as a T20I captain for India.
In the IPL, Kohli first led RCB at the age of 22 years and became the youngest captain in the history of the tournament. While Kohli enjoyed success as the captain of the Indian team, his stint with the RCB in the IPL didn’t yield the same level of success.
Kohli led RCB in 140 matches, winning 64 and losing 69. Despite not achieving significant success in terms of trophies, Kohli’s 140 matches as captain is the second highest in IPL history, with only MS Dhoni ahead of him.
