| Bio/Wiki | |
| Nickname(s) | Chikoo, Run Machine |
| Profession | Indian Cricketer (Batsman)
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| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 175 cm in meters- 1.75 m in Feet Inches- 5’ 9” |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Cricket | |
| International Debut | ODI- 18 August 2008 against Sri Lanka at Dambulla Test- 20 June 2011 against West Indies at Kingston T20 – 12 June 2010 against Zimbabwe at Harare |
| Jersey Number | #18 (India) #18 (IPL) |
| Domestic/State Team | Delhi, India Red, Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| Nature on field | Very Aggressive |
| Likes to play against | Pakistan, Australia |
| Favourite Shot | Cover Drive, Flick Shot |
| Records (main ones) | • First Indian to score a century on World Cup debut (2011). • Third Indian to make 2 ODI hundreds by the age of 22 (after Sachin Tendulkar & Suresh Raina). • Fastest Indian to complete 1000, 3000, 4000, and 5000 runs in ODI cricket. • Fastest century by an Indian (of 52 balls against Australia at Jaipur, India in 2013). • Fastest to score 25 ODI tons. • Fastest to reach 7,500 ODI runs. • Third player to score 3 double hundreds in a calendar year after Don Bradman and Ricky Ponting. • Shares the record of 4 double hundreds with the like of Don Bradman, Graeme Smith, Michael Clarke. • First Indian skipper to register 9 Test wins in a calendar year. • First Indian skipper to register 5 successive Test series wins. • First Indian to aggregate over 1000 Test runs in a calendar year after Rahul Dravid, who made 1145 runs in 2011. • The highest score of 235 in Tests is the highest score by an Indian captain in Tests. • First Indian Test skipper to score a double century in an overseas Test. • Most runs in IPL in a single season (973 runs in IPL 9-2016). • Most hundreds in IPL in a year (4). • The fastest to 10,000 ODI runs and reached the mark in 205 innings. • The first Indian to score 3 consecutive centuries in ODI cricket. • The fastest player to 19,000 runs in international cricket. • The highest run-scorer by any Indian Captain. He achieved the feat on 19 January 2020 while playing against Australia in Bengaluru. He scored 11208 runs as captain, which is the most by any Indian. He surpassed former skipper MS Dhoni, who amassed 11207 runs as captain. While Dhoni took 330 innings to score 11,208 runs, Kohli overtook him in just 199 innings as captain. Mohammad Azharuddin (8095) is third on the list followed by Sourav Ganguly (7643). |
| Career Turning Point | When he captained India’s victorious 2008 World Cup Under-19 side in Malaysia. |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 5 November 1988 |
| Age (as of 2021) | 33 Years |
| Birthplace | Delhi, India |
| Zodiac sign | Scorpio |
| Signature |
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| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Delhi, India |
| School | Vishal Bharti Public School, Delhi Saviour Convent Senior Secondary School, Paschim Vihar, Delhi |
| College | N/A |
| Educational Qualification | 12th standard |
| Family | Father– Late Prem Kohli (Criminal lawyer)
 Mother– Saroj Kohli (Homemaker)  Sister– Bhawna Kohli (Elder)  Brother– Vikas Kohli (Elder)  |
| Coach/Mentor | Raj Kumar Sharma |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Caste | Khatri |
| Food Habit | Vegetarian (turned vegetarian in October 2019) [1] |
| Address | DLF City Phase-1, Block-C, Gurugram
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| Likes & Dislikes | Likes– Watching Roger Federer playing, watching old cricket videos, he likes Soccer and Tennis beside Cricket, Loves to drive, crazy for sushi (food), meeting old friends Dislikes– Too many guests at home, sitting idle for long time |
| Hobbies | Workout, travelling, singing, dancing |
| Controversies | • In 2011, Kohli on his first tour to Australia, showed his middle finger to the Sydney crowd after they abused him when he was fielding the boundary at the boundary line during the second Test.
 • In 2013, during a match between Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Kolkata Knightriders in IPL 6, Kohli and Gautam Gambhir had an ugly spat. After getting out, instead of walking back, Kohli made some remarks which angered Gambhir, after which both started abusing each other until Rajat Bhatia intervened.  • Before the 2015 World Cup in Australia, the BCCI disallowed the Indian players to stay with their wives, or girlfriends during the World Cup. But according to reports, Kohli was staying in the same hotel where his girlfriend Anushka Sharma was staying. • In 2016, Kohli abused a journalist after a practice session during the T20 World Cup, as Kohli thought that that particular journalist had written an article about actress Anushka Sharma in the National Daily. But, later Kohli came to know that it was the wrong journalist, after which he apologized immediately. • Though Anil Kumble was named as the Indian cricket team coach in June 2016, in early 2017, there were many reports that were doing rounds hinting at differences between Anil and Virat Kohli. However, prior to the Champions Trophy 2017, when the BCCI published an advertisement for the post of men’s Indian cricket team coach, Anil felt deeply hurt and decided to discontinue his coaching job, and on 21 June 2017, Anil gave his resignation from the post of the Indian cricket team coach.  |
| Favourites | |
| Cricketer(s) | Batsman : Sachin Tendulkar, Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, David Warner, Joe Root, Herschelle Gibbs Bowler : Shane Warne |
| Cricket Ground | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia |
| Cricket Commentator | Harsha Bhogle |
| Food | Salmon, Sushi, Lamb Chops |
| Actor(s) | Aamir Khan, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr. |
| Actresses | Penelope Cruz, Aishwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif |
| Film(s) | Bollywood: Border, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Ishq, 3 Idiots Hollywood: Rocky 4, Iron Man, Southpaw |
| TV Show(s) | American: Homeland, Narcos, Breaking Bad |
| Musician(s) | Asrar, Eminem |
| Car | Aston Martin |
| Book | Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda |
| Basketball Player | Kobe Bryant [2] |
| Girls, Family & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | Sarah-Jane Dias (Actress, rumour)
 Sanjana (Model, Actress, rumour)  Tamannaah Bhatia (Actress, rumour)  Izabelle Leite (Brazilian model, rumour)  Mansha Bahl (Model, Actress)  Anushka Sharma (Actress)  |
| Wife/Spouse | Anushka Sharma
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| Marriage Date | 11 December 2017 |
| Children | On 11 January 2021, Virat and his wife, Anushka, blessed with a baby girl, Vamika.
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| Style Quotient | |
| Cars Collection | Audi Q7, Audi S6, Audi R8 V10, Audi R8 LMX, Audi A8L W12 Quattro, Toyota Fortuner
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| Money Factor | |
| Salary (as of 2018) | Retainer Fee: Rs. 7 crore Test Fee: Rs. 15 lakh ODI Fee: Rs. 6 lakh T20 Fee: Rs. 3 lakh IPL 11: Rs. 17 crore |
| Income (as of 2018) | Rs. 228.09 crore/annum [3] |
| Net Worth (approx.) | Rs. 400 Crore |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Virat Kohli
- Does Virat Kohli drink alcohol?: Yes
- Since the age of 3, Virat was fascinated by cricket.
Virat Kohli’s childhood photo
- When he was 9½ years old, his father took him to Raj Kumar Sharma’s West Delhi Cricket Academy.
Virat Kohli with his coach Raj Kumar Sharma
- In 2003, his coach Raj Kumar Sharma had invited Ashish Nehra to his academy, where he awarded young Kohli as he was the highest run-scorer for Delhi in the 2002-2003 Polly Umrigar Trophy, with 172 runs at an average of 34.40.
Virat Kohli with Ashish Nehra then and now
- His nickname ‘Chikoo’ was given by his Delhi State coach Ajit Chaudhary in his childhood days.
- His favourite subject was ‘History’, and he used to hate ‘Maths.’
- In 2006, his father died of a brain stroke, but the very next day after his father’s death, he played a match-saving knock for Delhi against Karnataka, where he scored 90 runs.
- He never had any backup plan for his future as he always wanted to be a cricketer.
- He has a number of superstitions. He wears black wristbands, and never forgets to wear his ‘Kada’ before his matches.
- He is scared of heights.
- He doesn’t like to have long conversions on the mobile phone.
- He always wears black wristbands for superstitious reasons.
- He is very aggressive as well as an emotional person, he cries when he gets upset. He was seen crying on the field when India did not qualify for the semi-finals in 2012’s T20 World cup.
- He won the ICC ODI Player of the Year Award in 2012.
- In 2012, he was named as one of the 10 best dressed international men.
- He was given the Arjuna Award (2013) and Padma Shri Award (2017) by the Government of India.
Virat Kohli – Padma Shri Award
- The same year, he was appointed the first brand ambassador of Border Security Force (BSF).
Virat Kohli as BSF ambassador
- He is a huge fan of Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer. He is also the co-owner of the ‘UAE Royals’ International Premier Tennis League team.
Virat Kohli with Roger Federer
- He loves tattoos and his count of tattoos keeps on increasing. The first on his left shoulder is ‘God’s eye’ which is a symbol of the power of seeing and understanding that which is unknown and unknowable. Second on his left shoulder is ‘Japanese Samurai warrior’ which is a symbol of living the life based on loyalty to one’s master, self discipline and respectful, ethical behaviour. Third on his left arm is a ‘Monastery’ which is a symbol of a place of peace and power. Fourth on his left arm is ‘Lord Shiva in meditation with Mount Kailash and Mansarovar lake.’ Fifth on his right bicep is a ‘Scorpion’ which is his Zodiac sign.
Virat Kohli’s tattoos
- He owns a restaurant in Delhi called ‘ Nueva.’
Virat Kohli’s restaurant Nueva
- He is a decent singer, and in 2016, a video of him singing “Jo Wada Kiya Hai Nibhana Padhega” had gone viral.
- He is a truly determined sportsperson, who is not only focused on his cricketing skills but also towards fitness, for which he is idolised by many. Click here to see Virat Kohli’s fitness secrets!
- On 11 December 2017, Virat and Anushka got married in a private ceremony in Tuscany, Italy. More details here!
- On 25 September 2018, the Government of India conferred Virat Kohli with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
Virat Kohli – Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
- In October 2019, he revealed that he had turned vegetarian and said that after turning vegetarian, he was feeling better and proud. Taking to Twitter Kohli wrote,
- During India’s tour of England in 2014, Kohli scored an average of 13.5 runs in ten innings with 1, 8, 25, 0, 39, 28, 0,7, 6, and 20 runs in five Tests, and after this clumsy performance, he went into depression; Kohli revealed this while conversating with former England player Mark Nicholas on his ‘Not Just Cricket’ podcast, he said,You just don’t understand how to get over it. That was a phase when I literally couldn’t do anything to overturn things…I felt like I was the loneliest guy in the world.”
- On 16 September 2021, he took to Twitter to announce that he will step down as India’s T20 captain after the T20 World Cup in UAE; however, he will continue to lead the Indian team in ODIs and Test cricket. His Twitter post reads,I’ve decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October.”
He elaborated,
Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all three formats and captaining regularly for last five to six years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead Indian team in Test and ODI cricket.
He further added,
I have given my everything to the Team during my time as T20 captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 team as a batsman moving forward.”
- On 15 January 2022, he took to Twitter to announce that he stepped down as Test captain. [4] He tweeted,It has been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I’ve done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test captain of India, it is now. There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey: but never had there been a lack of effort or a lack of belief.”
He added,
I have always believed in giving my 120 percent in everything I do, and if I can’t do that, I know it is not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to the team.”
While giving thanks to Shatri & Co., he said,
Ravi Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved up in Test Cricket consistently. You all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to M.S. Dhoni who believed in me as captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian cricket forward.”
- On 7 June 2022, he became the first Indian to cross the 200 million followers mark on Instagram. [5]
