The young Virat Kohli made his debut in an ODI match against Sri Lanka on this day in 2008, marking his entrance into the international stage. Just a few months prior to the Sri Lanka series, Virat had recently added his name to the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup trophy and, like many U19 captains before him, had established a strong case for donning the Indian cap in the future by scoring 235 runs in six matches at an average of 47.00, including one century against the West Indies in the group stages.
With some incredible figures to his credit, Virat is regarded as one of the best batters the game has ever seen. He has amassed 12,898 runs at an average of 57.32 in 275 one-day internationals, including 46 centuries and 65 half-centuries in 265 innings, with a top score of 183.
Virat opened the batting against Sri Lanka with his Delhi teammate Gautam Gambhir, however they only managed to score 12 runs. With 159 runs scored in five games at an average of 31.80, the young player finished his maiden series with respectable stats. He reached his first fifty in the fifth ODI. Even his most ardent supporters found it difficult to believe the amount of success Virat would go on to achieve in the years to come, despite the fact that many thought he was destined for international glory due to his brilliance and U19 triumph.
Along with Australia’s Steve Smith, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, and England’s Joe Root, Kohli established himself as the model of consistency in every format, eventually joining the so-called “Fab Four” batting quartet of the modern era.
He has racked up 1,030 runs in 26 innings over 26 World Cup games, scoring at a 46.81 avg. His best score was 107, and he has two century and six fifties. Additionally, he has appeared in 13 ICC CT matches, amassing 529 runs at an average of 88.16, including five half-centuries in 12 innings. However, he has drawn criticism for his unreliable knockout match record.
Virat has skillfully combined conservatism and situation-based attacking to establish himself as a T20I behemoth in an era where the T20 format emphasises aggressive batting. He has scored 4,008 runs at an average of 52.73 and a strike rate of 137.96 in 115 T20 Internationals. With the highest score of 122*, he has one century and 37 half-centuries to his credit.
When pursuing in T20 World Cups, he records unbelievable stats. Virat has scored 518 runs with a batting average of 518.00 in nine victorious chases! Because he was only ever let go once while pursuing, this is the case. He has chased in seven innings, scoring half centuries.
Overall, Virat’s all-format statistics are astounding. Virat is perhaps the best all-format batsman of all time due to his consistency in terms of runs and appearances across all formats, especially with the introduction of T20I cricket and a heavier workload. He has 25,582 runs at an average of 53.63 in 501 games. He has accumulated 76 centuries, 131 fifties, and a top score of 254* in 559 innings of play.
Before retiring, Kohli will set even more incredible records, capping off a fantastic career.
