By Raza Mehdi
October 26, 2022
He’s the fastest batsman to score 12000 runs in ODI cricket. He even broke Tendulkar’s record of the fastest 20 ODI centuries in just 133 innings, while Sachin took 197 innings!
Virat breaks ODI records
India former captain Virat Kohli is currently the only batsman in the world with an average of over 50 across all three cricketing formats.
Virat’s consistent average
On December 20, 2006, Virat played his debut Ranji season against Karnataka. His father Prem Kohli’s unfortunate demise two days before didn't waver him from scoring 90 runs.
Virat’s resilience
Kohli is the only bowler in T20 cricket to take a wicket on zeroth delivery. In a T20 match against England in 2011, he bowled a wide to Kevin Pietersen, who had stepped out of the crease and got stumped by MS Dhoni.
Taking a wicket on the 0th ball
His unbeatable global popularity has made him the first Indian to cross the 200 million mark on Instagram. He is the 4th most followed athlete on Instagram across all the sports globally.
Only Indian to have 218 Million Instagram followers
Kohli wears the 18 number jersey in memory of his father, who passed away due to cardiac arrest on 18 December 2006. Coincidentally, Kohli was also 18.
Story behind Jersey number ‘18’
When he was in 12th standard, Kohli decided to drop out of further studies to focus entirely on his cricket. It was a courageous decision, and the rest is history.
Kohli is a school dropout
Do you know that Kohli is the most expensive player in IPL history despite never being auctioned in the IPL? He is the only player to play for the same team for all 14 seasons.
Most expensive player in IPL history
The nickname Cheeku was given to him by former Delhi coach Ajit Chaudhary after he joined the Delhi Ranji team, which is now known worldwide. Dhoni has also called him Cheeku several times behind the stumps.
Who gave him the nickname?
Virat turned vegetarian due to an injury in his cervical spine during a tour of South Africa in early 2018. He said his bones were getting weaker due to this injury, and he felt much better after making the change.
Why Did Virat Go Vegetarian?