INTERNATIONAL CAREER
Early years
In August 2008, Kohli was included in the Indian ODI squad for tour of Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Prior to the Sri Lankan tour, Kohli had played only eight List A matches,[49] and his selection was called a "surprise call-up".[50] During the Sri Lankan tour, as both first-choice openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were injured, Kohli batted as a makeshift opener throughout the series. He made his international debut, at the age of 19, in the first ODI of the tour and was dismissed for 12.[51] He made his first ODI half century, a score of 54, in the fourth match which helped India win the series.[51] He had scores of 37, 25 and 31 in the other three matches.[51] India won the series 3–2 which was India's first ODI series win against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.
After the Champions Trophy was postponed to 2009, Kohli was picked as a replacement for the injured Shikhar Dhawan in the India A squad for the unofficial Tests against Australia A in September 2008.[52] He batted only once in the two-match series, and scored 49 in that innings.[53] Later that month in September 2008, he played for Delhi in the Nissar Trophy against SNGPL (winners of Quaid-i-Azam Trophy from Pakistan) and top-scored for Delhi in both innings, with 52 and 197.[54] The match was drawn but SNGPL won the trophy on first-innings lead.[55] In October 2008, Kohli played for Indian Board President's XI in a four-day tour match against Australia. He made 105 and 16* in that match against a bowling line-up consisting of Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Jason Krejza.[56]
Kohli was included in the squad for the home ODI series against England in November 2008 but was not given a chance to play, due to the inclusion of Tendulkar and Sehwag in the team.[57] In December 2008, Kohli was given a Grade D contract in the annual BCCI contracts list which entitled him to receive ₹1.5 million (equivalent to ₹3.4 million or US$47,000 in 2019).[58] He was then dropped from the squad for the five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka against Sri Lanka in January 2009.
Kohli was selected in the four-team Emerging Players Tournament in July–August 2009 held in Australia. He opened the innings for India Emerging Players in that tournament and finished as the leading run-getter with 398 runs from seven matches at an average of 66.33.[59] He scored 104 off 102 balls in the final against South Africa Emerging Players at Brisbane to help his team win the match by 17 runs and clinch the title.[60] At the conclusion of the tournament, Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of the national selection committee, was impressed with Kohli and remarked "I must say, opener Virat Kohli was outstanding. Some of the shots he played spoke about his ability."[61] Kohli has called this tournament as the "turning point" of his career.[62]
Kohli returned to the national team replacing the injured Gautam Gambhir in the Indian squad for the tri-series in Sri Lanka.[63] He batted at number 4 for India in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy because of an injury to Yuvraj Singh. In the inconsequential group match against the West Indies, Kohli scored an unbeaten 79 in India's successful chase of 130 and won his first man of the match award.[64] Kohli played as a reserve batsman in the seven-match home ODI series against Australia, appearing in two matches as injury replacement. He found a place in the home ODI series against Sri Lanka in December 2009 and scored 27 and 54 in the first two ODIs before making way for Yuvraj who regained fitness for the third ODI. However, Yuvraj's finger injury recurred leading to him being ruled out indefinitely.[65] Kohli returned to the team in the fourth ODI at Kolkata and scored his first ODI century–107 off 111 balls–sharing a 224-run partnership for the third wicket with Gambhir, who made his personal best score of 150. India won by seven wickets to seal the series 3–1.[51] The man of the match was awarded to Gambhir who gave the award to Kohli.[66]
Tendulkar was rested for the tri-nation ODI tournament in Bangladesh in January 2010, which enabled Kohli to play in each of India's five matches. Against Bangladesh, he scored 91 to help secure a win after India collapsed to 51/3 early in their run-chase of 297.[51] In the next match against Sri Lanka, Kohli ended unbeaten on 71 to help India win the match with a bonus point having chased down their target of 214 within 33 overs. The next day, he scored his second ODI century, against Bangladesh, bringing up the mark with the winning runs.[67] He became only the third Indian batsman to score two ODI centuries before their 22nd birthday, after Tendulkar and Suresh Raina.[68] Kohli was much praised for his performances during the series[62][69] in particular by the Indian captain Dhoni.[70] Although Kohli made only two runs in the final against Sri Lanka in a four-wicket Indian defeat,[51] he finished as the leading run-getter of the series with 275 runs from five innings at an average of 91.66.[71] In the three-match ODI series at home against South Africa in February, Kohli batted in two games and had scores of 31 and 57.[51]
Rise through the ranks
Raina was named captain and Kohli vice-captain for the tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe in May–June 2010, as many first-choice players skipped the tour. Kohli made 168 runs at 42.00 including two fifties,[72] but India suffered three defeats in four matches and crashed out of the series. During the series, Kohli became the fastest Indian batsman to reach 1,000 runs in ODI cricket.[73] He made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe at Harare and scored an unbeaten 26.[74] Later that month, Kohli batted at 3 in a full-strength Indian team throughout the 2010 Asia Cup and scored a total of 67 runs at an average of 16.75.[75] His struggles with form continued in the tri-series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Sri Lanka where he averaged 15.
Despite the poor run of form, Kohli was retained in the ODI squad for a three-match series against Australia in October, and in the only completed match of the series at Visakhapatnam, scored his third ODI century–118 off 121 balls–which helped India reach the target of 290 after losing the openers early.[76] Winning the man of the match, he admitted that he was under pressure to keep his place in the team after failures in the two previous series.[77] Part of a largely inexperienced team for the home ODI series against New Zealand, Kohli scored a match-winning 104-ball 105, his fourth ODI hundred and second in succession, in the first game,[78] and followed it up with 64 and 63* in the next two matches.[51] India completed a 5–0 whitewash of New Zealand, while Kohli's performance in the series helped him become a regular in the ODI team[79] and made him a strong contender for a spot in India's World Cup squad.[80] He was India's leading run-scorer in ODIs in 2010, with 995 runs from 25 matches at an average of 47.38 including three centuries.[81]
Kohli was India's leading run-getter in the five-match ODI series of the South African tour in January 2011, with 193 runs at an average of 48.25 including two fifties, both in Indian defeats.[82] During the series, he jumped to number two spot on the ICC Rankings for ODI batsmen,[83] and was named in India's 15-man squad for the World Cup.[84] The inclusion of both Kohli and Raina in the World Cup squad resulted in speculations about which of the two batsmen will make it to the playing eleven. Days before India's first match of the tournament, Indian captain Dhoni indicated that the in-form Kohli is likely to be preferred over Raina.[83]
Kohli played in every match of India's successful World Cup campaign. He scored an unbeaten 100, his fifth ODI century, in the first match against Bangladesh and became the first Indian batsman to score a century on World Cup debut.[85] In the next four group matches he had low scores of 8, 34, 12 and 1 against England, Ireland, Netherlands and South Africa respectively. Having returned to form with 59 against the West Indies, he scored only 24 and 9 in the quarter-final against Australia and semi-final against Pakistan respectively.[51] In the final against Sri Lanka at Mumbai, he scored 35, sharing an 83-run partnership with Gambhir for the third wicket after India had lost both openers within the seventh over chasing 275.[86] This partnership is regarded as "one of the turning points in the match",[87] as India went on to win the match by six wickets and lift the World Cup for the first time since 1983.[88]
Consistent performance in limited overs
When India toured the West Indies in June–July 2011, they chose a largely inexperienced squad, resting Tendulkar and others such as Gambhir and Sehwag missing out due to injuries. Kohli was one of three uncapped players in the Test squad.[89] Kohli found success in the ODI series which India won 3–2, with a total of 199 runs at an average of 39.80.[90] His best efforts came in the second ODI at Port of Spain where he won the man of the match for his score of 81 which gave India a seven-wicket victory,[91] and the fifth ODI at Kingston where his innings of 94 came in a seven-wicket defeat.[51] Kohli made his Test debut at Kingston in the first match of the Test series that followed. He batted at 5 and was dismissed for 4 and 15 caught behind by Fidel Edwards in both innings.[92] India went on to win the Test series 1–0 but Kohli amassed just 76 runs from five innings,[93] struggling against the short ball[94] and was particularly troubled by the fast bowling of Edwards, who dismissed him three times in the series.[95]
Initially dropped from the Test squad for India's four-match series in England in July and August, Kohli was recalled as replacement for the injured Yuvraj,[96] though did not play in any match in the series. He found moderate success in the subsequent ODI series in which he averaged 38.80.[97] His score of 55 in the first ODI at Chester-le-Street was followed by a string of low scores in the next three matches.[51] In the last game of the series, Kohli scored his sixth ODI hundred–107 runs off 93 balls–and shared a 170-run third-wicket partnership with Rahul Dravid, who was playing his last ODI, to help India post their first 300-plus total of the tour.[98] Kohli was dismissed hit wicket in that innings which was the only century in the series by any player on either team and earned him praise for his "hard work" and "maturity".[99] However, England won the match by D/L method and the series 3–0.
In October 2011, Kohli was the leading run-scorer of the five-match home ODI series against England which India won 5–0. He scored a total of 270 runs across five matches including unbeaten knocks of 112 from 98 balls at Delhi, where he put on an unbroken 209-run partnership with Gambhir,[100] and 86 at Mumbai, both in successful run-chases.[51] Owing to his ODI success, Kohli was included, ahead of Raina, in the Test squad to face the West Indies in November. In competition with Yuvraj Singh for the number six position,[101] it was not until the final match of the series that Kohli was selected in the team. He scored a pair of fifties in the match,[92] with his first innings score of 52 ensuring India avoided follow-on.[102] India won the subsequent ODI series 4–1 in which Kohli managed to accumulate 243 runs at 60.75.[103] During the series, Kohli scored his eighth ODI century and his second at Visakhapatnam, where he made 117 off 123 balls in India's run-chase of 271,[104] a knock which raised his reputation as "an expert of the chase".[105] Kohli ended up as the leading run-getter in ODIs for the year 2011, with 1381 runs from 34 matches at 47.62 and four centuries.[106]
Ascension to ODI vice-captaincy
Having found a place in India's Test squad for the tour of Australia in December 2011, Kohli top-scored with 132 in a tour match against Cricket Australia Chairman's XI to strengthen his case for a spot in the playing eleven ahead of Rohit Sharma.[107] Batting at number 6, Kohli failed to go past 25 in the first two Tests, as his defensive technique was exposed.[108][92] While fielding on the boundary during the second day of the second match, he gestured to the crowd with his middle finger for which he was fined 50% of his match fee by the match referee. He top-scored in each of India's innings in the third Test at Perth, with 44 and 75, even as India surrendered to their second consecutive innings defeat.[109] In the fourth and final match at Adelaide, Kohli scored his maiden Test century of 116 runs in the first innings; it was the only century scored by an Indian in the series.[110] India suffered a 0–4 whitewash and Kohli, India's top run-scorer in the series, was described as "the lone bright spot in an otherwise nightmare visit for the tourists".[111]
In the first seven matches of the Commonwealth Bank triangular series against hosts Australia and Sri Lanka, Kohli made two fifties–77 at Perth and 66 at Brisbane–both against Sri Lanka.[51] India registered two wins, a tie and four losses in these seven matches, which meant that they needed a bonus point win their last group match against Sri Lanka at Hobart, to stay in contention for qualifying for the finals series.[112] Being set a target of 321 by Sri Lanka, Kohli came to the crease with India's score at 86/2 and went on to score 133 not out from 86 balls to take India to a comfortable win with 13 overs to spare.[113] India earned a bonus point with the win and Kohli was named Man of the Match for his knock, which included scoring 24 runs in an over by Lasith Malinga.[114] Former Australian cricketer and commentator Dean Jones rated Kohli's innings as "one of the greatest ODI knocks of all time".[115] However, Sri Lanka beat Australia three days later in their last group fixture and knocked India out of the series.[116] With 373 runs at 53.28, Kohli once again finished as India's highest run-scorer and lone centurion of the series.[117]
Kohli was appointed the vice-captain for the 2012 Asia Cup in Bangladesh on the back of his fine performance in Australia. Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of selectors, told reporters, "Hats off to Virat Kohli for the way he played. We have to start looking towards the future. The selection committee and the Board felt Kohli is future captaincy material."[118] Kohli was in fine form during the tournament, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 357 runs at an average of 119.[119] He scored 108 in the opening match against Sri Lanka in a 50-run Indian victory,[120] while India lost their next match to Bangladesh in which he made 66.[51] In the final group stage match against Pakistan, he scored a personal best 183 off 148 balls, his 11th ODI century. Coming in at 0/1, he struck 22 fours and a six in his innings to help India to chase down 330, their highest successful ODI run-chase at the time.[121][122] His knock was the highest individual score in Asia Cup history, the joint-second highest score in an ODI run-chase and the highest individual score against Pakistan in ODIs surpassing previous record of 156 by Brian Lara.[123] Kohli was awarded the man of the match in both matches that India won, but India could not progress to the final of the tournament.
In July–August 2012, Kohli struck two centuries in the five-match ODI tour of Sri Lanka–106 off 113 balls at Hambantota and 128* off 119 balls at Colombo–winning man of the match in both games.[124][125] India won the series 4–1 and on account of scoring the most runs in the series, Kohli was named player of the series.[126] In the one-off T20I that followed, he scored a 48-ball 68, his first T20I fifty, and won the player of the series award.[127] Kohli scored his second Test century at Bangalore during New Zealand's tour of India and won his first man of the match award in Test cricket.[128] India won the two-match series 2–0, and Kohli averaged 106 with one hundred and two fifties from three innings.[129] In the subsequent T20I series, he scored 70 runs off 41 balls, but India lost the match by one run and the series 1–0.[74] He continued to be in good form during the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, with 185 runs from 5 matches at an average of 46.25.[130] He hit two fifties during the tournament, 50 against Afghanistan in the group stage[131] and 78* against Pakistan in the Super Eights, winning man of the match for both innings.[132] He was named in the ICC 'Team of the Tournament'.[133]
Kohli's Test form dipped during the first three matches of England's tour of India with a top score of 20 and England leading the series 2–1.[92] He scored a patient 103 from 295 balls in the last match on a slow and low pitch at Nagpur,[134] keeping India in contention of drawing the series. ESPNcricinfo praised Kohli for having "demonstrated his growing maturity to play just the sort of innings his side required",[135] while Kohli described his knock as "a learning innings".[136] However, the match ended in a draw and England won their first Test series in India in 28 years.[137] Against Pakistan in December 2012, Kohli averaged 18 in the T20Is[138] and 4.33 in the ODIs,[139] being troubled by the fast bowlers, particularly Junaid Khan, who dismissed him on all three occasions in the ODI series.[140] Kohli had a quiet ODI series against England, apart from a match-winning 77* in the third ODI at Ranchi,[141] with a total of 155 runs at an average of 38.75.[142]
Kohli scored his fourth Test century (107) at Chennai in the first match of the home Test series against Australia in February 2013. He said he was "feeling hungry for this series" after a poor run of form in the two previous series and also disappointed on getting out soon after reaching the hundred-run mark.[144] India completed a 4–0 series sweep, becoming the first team to whitewash Australia in more than four decades.[145] Kohli averaged 56.80 in the series and cemented his spot in the Test team.[146]
In June 2013, Kohli featured in the ICC Champions Trophy in England which India won. He scored a match-winning 144 against Sri Lanka in a warm-up match.[147] He scored 34, 22 and 22 not out in India's group matches against South Africa, West Indies and Pakistan respectively, while India qualified for the semi-finals with an undefeated record. In the semi-final against Sri Lanka at Cardiff, he struck 58 not out in an eight-wicket win for India.[51] The final between India and England at Birmingham was reduced to 20 overs after a rain delay. India batted first and Kohli top-scored with 43 from 34 balls, sharing a sixth-wicket partnership of 47 runs off 33 balls with Ravindra Jadeja and helping India reach 129/7 in 20 overs. India went on to secure a five-run win and their second consecutive ICC ODI tournament victory.[148] He was also named as part of the 'Team of the Tournament' by the ICC.[149]
Setting records
Kohli stood-in as the captain for the first ODI of the triangular series in the West Indies after Dhoni injured himself during the match. India lost the match by one wicket, and Dhoni was subsequently ruled out of the series with Kohli being named the captain for the remaining matches.[150] In his second match as captain, Kohli scored his first hundred as captain, making 102 off 83 balls against the West Indies at Port of Spain in a bonus point win for India.[151] Many senior players including Dhoni were rested for the five-match ODI tour of Zimbabwe in July 2013, with Kohli being appointed captain for an entire series for the first time.[152] In the first game of the series at Harare, he struck 115 runs from 108 balls, helping India chase down the target of 229 and winning the man of the match award.[153] He batted on two more occasions in the series in which he had scores of 14 and 58 not out. India completed a 5–0 sweep of the series; their first in an away ODI series.[154]
Kohli had a successful time with the bat in the seven-match ODI series against Australia. After top-scoring with 61 in the opening loss at Pune, he struck the fastest century by an Indian in ODIs in the second match at Jaipur. Reaching the milestone in just 52 balls and putting up an unbroken 186-run second-wicket partnership with Rohit Sharma that came in 17.2 overs,[155] Kohli's innings of 100 not out helped India chase down the target of 360 for the loss of one wicket with more than six overs to spare. This chase was the second-highest successful run-chase in ODI cricket, while Kohli's knock became the fastest hundred against Australia and the third-fastest in a run-chase.[156] He followed that innings with 68 in the next match at Mohali in another Indian defeat,[51] before the next two matches were washed out by rain. In the sixth ODI at Nagpur, he struck 115 off only 66 balls to help India successfully chase the target of 351 and level the series 2–2 and won the man of the match.[157] He reached the 100-run mark in 61 balls, making it the third-fastest ODI century by an Indian batsman, and also became the fastest batsman in the world to score 17 hundreds in ODI cricket.[158] India clinched the series after winning the last match in which he was run out for a duck. At the conclusion of the series, Kohli moved to the top position in the ICC ODI batsmen rankings for the first time in his career.[5]
Kohli batted twice in the two-match Test series against the West Indies, and had scores of 3 and 57 being dismissed by Shane Shillingford in both innings. This was also the last Test series for Tendulkar and Kohli was expected to take Tendulkar's number 4 batting position after the series.[159] In the first game of the three-match ODI series that followed at Kochi, Kohli made 86 to seal a six-wicket win and won the man of the match.[160] During the match, he also equalled Viv Richards' record of becoming the fastest batsman to make 5,000 runs in ODI cricket, reaching the landmark in his 114th innings.[161] He missed out on his third century at Visakhapatnam in the next match, after being dismissed for 99 playing a hook shot off Ravi Rampaul.[162] India lost the match by two wickets, but took the series 2–1 after winning the last match at Kanpur.[163] With 204 runs at 68.00, Kohli finished the series as the leading run-getter and was awarded the man of the series.[164]
Overseas season
India toured South Africa in December 2013 for three ODIs and two Tests. Kohli averaged 15.50 in the ODIs, including a duck.[165] In the first Test at Johannesburg, playing his first Test in South Africa[166] and batting at 4 for the first time,[92] Kohli scored 119 and 96. His hundred was the first by a subcontinent batsman at the venue since 1998.[167] Regarding Kohli's hundred, South Africa bowling coach Allan Donald said, "The one word that comes to my mind is responsibility. I think he [Kohli] showed great discipline and responsibility. It reminds me of Sachin Tendulkar when they came here in 1996."[168] The match ended in a draw, and Kohli was awarded man of the match.[169] India failed to win a single match on the tour, losing the second Test by 10 wickets in which he made 46 and 11.[92]
Kohli continued to amass runs on the subsequent New Zealand tour. He averaged 58.21 in the five-match ODI series[171] in which his efforts of 111-ball 123 at Napier, 65-ball 78 at Hamilton and 78-ball 82 at Wellington[51] all went in vain as India were defeated 4–0. He made 214 runs at 71.33 in the two-match Test series that followed[172] including an unbeaten 105 on the last day of the second Test at Wellington that helped India save the match.[173]
India then travelled to Bangladesh for the Asia Cup and World Twenty20. Dhoni was ruled out of the Asia Cup after suffering a side strain during the New Zealand tour, which led to Kohli being named the captain for the tournament.[174] Kohli scored 136 off 122 balls in India's opening match against Bangladesh, sharing a 213-run third-wicket stand with Ajinkya Rahane, which helped India successfully chase 280.[175] It was his 19th ODI century and his fifth in Bangladesh, making him the batsman with most ODI centuries in Bangladesh.[176] India were knocked out of the tournament after narrow losses against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, in which Kohli scored 48 and 5 respectively.[51]
Dhoni returned from injury to captain the team for 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and Kohli was named vice-captain. In India's opening match of the tournament against Pakistan, Kohli top-scored with 36 not out to guide India to a seven-wicket win. He scored 54 off 41 balls in the next game against West Indies and an unbeaten 57 from 50 balls against Bangladesh, both in successful run-chases.[74] In the semi-final, he made an unbeaten 72 in 44 deliveries to help India achieve the target of 173 with six wickets and five balls to spare.[177] He won the man of the match for this knock which he called "my best T20 innings".[178] India posted 130/4 in the final against Sri Lanka, in which Kohli scored 77 from 58 balls, and eventually lost the match by six wickets.[179] Kohli had made a total of 319 runs in the tournament at an average of 106.33, a record for most runs by an individual batsman in a single World Twenty20 tournament,[180] for which he won the Man of the Tournament award.[179]
Kohli and other senior players were rested for India's tour of Bangladesh ahead of the England tour. India conceded a 3–1 defeat in the five-match Test series against England despite leading it 1–0 after the first two Tests. Kohli fared poorly in the series averaging just 13.40 in 10 innings with a top score of 39.[181] He was dismissed for single-digit scores on six occasions in the series and was particularly susceptible to the swinging ball on off stump line, being dismissed several times edging the ball to the wicket-keeper or slip fielders. Man of the series James Anderson got Kohli's wicket four times,[182] while Kohli's batting technique was questioned by analysts and former cricketers.[183][184] Geoffrey Boycott said, "Jimmy Anderson ate him for breakfast. Every time Kohli came in, all he did was bowl at off stump, around the corridor of uncertainty and Kohli nicked it. He is playing with his bat too far away from his pad. He has to look at video replays of his technique and get back to basics".[185] India won the ODI series that followed 3–1, but Kohli's struggles with the bat continued with an average of 18 in four innings.[186] In the one-off T20I, he scored 41-ball 66, his first fifty-plus score of the tour on the last match of the tour.[74] India lost the match by three runs, but Kohli reached the number one spot for T20I batsmen in the ICC rankings.[187]
Kohli had a successful time during India's home ODI series win over the West Indies in October 2014. His 62 in the second ODI at Delhi was his first fifty across Tests and ODIs in 16 innings since February,[188] and he stated that he got his "confidence back" with the innings.[189] He struck his 20th ODI hundred–127 runs in 114 balls–in the fourth match at Dharamsala. India registered a 59-run victory and Kohli was awarded man of the match.[190] Dhoni was rested for the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in November, enabling Kohli to lead the team for another full series. Kohli batted at 4 throughout the series and made scores of 22, 49, 53 and 66 in the first four ODIs, with India leading the series 4–0. In the fifth ODI at Ranchi, Kohli came in to bat with India at 14/2 in pursuit of 287. He made an unbeaten 139 off 126 balls to give his team a three-wicket win and a whitewash of Sri Lanka.[191] Kohli was awarded player of the series, and it was the second whitewash under his captaincy.[192] During the series he became the fastest batsman in the world to go past the 6000-run mark in ODIs.[193] With 1054 ODI runs at 58.55 in 2014, he became the second player in the world after Sourav Ganguly to make more than 1,000 runs in ODIs for four consecutive calendar years.[194]