Virat Kohli pens emotional message for 'friend' Harry Kane on winning Ballon d'Or 2026

Kohli congratulates Harry Kane on Ballon d'Or 2026

India's batting star Virat Kohli took to X to congratulate Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, who beat Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal to claim the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

Virat Kohli signs autograph on net bowler's India jersey at Brabourne Stadium

Kohli signs net bowler's India jersey at Brabourne

The 37-year-old batter paused his New Zealand ODI series preparations at the Cricket Club of India to sign a young net bowler's Team India jersey and offer words of encouragement.

Ajinkya Rahane's all-time India Test XI leaves out Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah

Rahane's all-time Test XI snubs Kohli and Bumrah

Ajinkya Rahane named his all-time India Test XI from players he shared a field with, and the absence of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah drew sharp reactions online.

'Get fully fit and comfortable, and you are there' - Amit Mishra recalls interaction with Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli promised comeback, then went silent: Mishra

Former India leg-spinner Amit Mishra has revealed that captain Virat Kohli assured him of a return to the national team after injury but never responded to his calls and messages.

'Age not a criteria' - BCCI President on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's role in build-up to 2027 World Cup

Mithun Manhas on Rohit, Kohli's 2027 World Cup selection

BCCI President Mithun Manhas says fitness and performance, not age, should determine selection for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Harbhajan urges Sooryavanshi to follow legends' discipline

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has compared Sooryavanshi's hitting ability to Sachin Tendulkar's teenage years and urged the youngster to stay focused ahead of the New Zealand T20I series.

Harbhajan Singh urges Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to follow Kohli, Tendulkar and Dravid's discipline ahead of New Zealand series

Harbhajan Singh reveals how he motivated young Virat Kohli to surpass Rahul Dravid's run record

Harbhajan backed Kohli to break Dravid's record

The former India off-spinner recalled his conversation with Kohli during the batter's international debut in 2008.

'He was a completely different beast' - Suryakumar Yadav on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's influence

Suryakumar Yadav on Kohli and Rohit's influence on his game

Suryakumar Yadav reveals how observing Virat Kohli's training methods and learning from Rohit Sharma's leadership shaped his approach to fitness and team dynamics.

India vs West Indies: Last T20I in Hyderabad

As India and West Indies prepare for the fourth T20I at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on October 14, 2026, a look back at their previous meeting at this venue.

India vs West Indies in Hyderabad: Revisiting their last T20I meeting

Manhas: Performance should decide Kohli, Rohit's WC fate

BCCI president Mithun Manhas says selectors and coaches must decide on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's availability for the 2027 ODI World Cup based on fitness and performance.

Mithun Manhas says fitness and performance, not age, should decide Kohli and Rohit's 2027 World Cup fate

5 players with the most catches for India in T20Is

5 players with most catches for India in T20Is

Tilak Varma's 50th catch in Indore completes a five-player elite list for India in men's T20 internationals.

Will Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli feature in domestic cricket in 2026-27?

Will Rohit and Kohli feature in domestic cricket in 2026-27?

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are set to feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai and Delhi ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.

McSweeney credits YouTube study of Kohli and Smith for Australia A's series win in India

McSweeney credits Kohli, Smith study for series win

The Australia A batter scored 194 runs at an average of 64.66 and strike rate of 83.62 across the ODI series in India.

'Virat was a bit bitter' - Wasim Jaffer questions Ajit Agarkar's handling of Kohli before Test retirement

Jaffer questions Agarkar's handling of Kohli pre-retirement

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer says Virat Kohli appeared bitter about his treatment before retiring from Test cricket in May 2025, while rating Ajit Agarkar's tenure seven out of ten.

'They know what to do' - Robin Singh on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's chances for World Cup 2027

Form over age for Rohit and Kohli: Robin Singh

Former India all-rounder Robin Singh believes Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's current form and fitness will determine their value to the Indian team at the ODI World Cup 2027.

Renshaw surpasses Kohli's record for most runs with tail in a Test innings

Renshaw breaks Kohli's tail-end runs record in Tests

Matt Renshaw's 190 at Durban included 174 runs added with the lower order, going past Virat Kohli's previous Test record of 171.

Delhi

India

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

<h3>Introduction</h3>
<p>India cricket supporters have witnessed many great players, but few greater than Virat Kohli, who has reigned supreme in the cricket world with his incredible batting talent. Born on November 5, 1988, in Delhi to Prem Kohli, a criminal lawyer, and Saroj Kohli, a housewife, Kohli joined West Delhi Cricket Academy in 1998 and got trained under his coach Rajkumar Sharma.&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Career Information</h3>
<p><strong>Test Debut:</strong> West Indies vs India at Kingston, June 20-23, 2011</p>
<p><strong>ODI Debut:</strong> Sri Lanka vs India at Dambulla, August 18, 2008</p>
<p><strong>T20I Debut: </strong>Zimbabwe vs India at Harare, June 12, 2010</p>
<p><strong>IPL Debut:</strong> Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders, April 18, 2008</p>
<p>In 2006, Kohli made his List A debut for Delhi against Services at the age of 17. In November 2006, at 18, he made his maiden appearance in first-class cricket for his state. However, in 2008, he grabbed eyeballs as he led the India Under-19 team from the front to a title triumph in the <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cwc-cricket-world-cup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Cup</a>.</strong></p>
<h3>International Debut:</h3>
<p>Following his impressive show for the junior side in the Under-19 World Cup, Kohli got selected in the ODI team for the Sri Lanka tour in 2008. On August 18, 2008, 19-year-old Kohli made his international debut in the first ODI against Sri Lanka and opened the innings with Gautam Gambhir. He was dismissed on 12 runs in his maiden international game.</p>
<h3>Earning a spot in the national squad:</h3>
<p>In 2010, the Indian team management backed Kohli despite his struggle with the bat in the back-to-back series. However, in the three-match ODI series against Australia at home, he notched up a century and earned the Player of the Match award in the second match in Visakhapatnam. During the home ODI series against New Zealand, Kohli hit a crucial match-winning century in the first game in Guwahati.</p>
<p>Appearing in the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, Kohli’s crucial 83-run stand with Gautam Gambhir helped India in a memorable triumph. In June 2011, Kohli received a Test cap as he made his first appearance in the longest format of the game in the first match against the West Indies in Kingston.</p>
<p>In December 2011, he went to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and emerged as the leading run-scorer for India. Playing the final game at the Adelaide Oval, he also scored his maiden century against the Aussies. In 2012, Kohli won the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award after becoming the top scorer in 2011.&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Captaincy Career:</h3>
<p>In the absence of the regular skipper <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/ms-dhoni" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MS Dhoni</a></strong>, due to an injury, Kohli captained the side in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014-15. On the bouncy track of Adelaide Oval, he exuded confidence as a batter with his twin centuries (115 and 141)..&nbsp;</p>
<p>In the second innings, Kohli’s elegant innings gave the Aussies a headache as the visitors looked set to chase 364 with ease before a dramatic batting collapse. India lost the distinguished four-match Test competition by a 2-0 margin but for Kohli, it was a perfect series as he became the leading run-scorer for India, scoring 692 runs with four centuries and a half-century in eight innings.&nbsp;</p>
<p>After MS Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket in December 2014, Kohli got the reins of the Test captaincy. From 2015-17, the Indian Test team looked in magnificent form under him. Thrashing the quality teams such as South Africa, New Zealand, England, and Australia, India became a dominant side at home.</p>
<p>After leading India for 10 years in white-ball cricket, MS Dhoni stepped down as a skipper. Filling the shoes of the veteran, Kohli took the mantle of captaincy with the three-match ODI series against England at home. Leading the ODI team for the first time as a full-time skipper, he secured a 2-1 win against the visitors.&nbsp;</p>
<p>As an ODI captain, Kohli faced one of the major blows in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 as India got hammered by the arch-rivals Pakistan in the final. However, after the infamous defeat, he created history with his captaincy skills as the Indian team achieved immense success not only at home but also overseas. In February 2018, Kohli and his men pummelled the Proteas by a 5-1 margin and tasted their maiden ODI series win in South Africa.</p>
<p>In 2018-19, India achieved success in winning a Test series in Australia for the first time. After more than two years of the spectacular journey under the veteran’s leadership, India played some brilliant cricket in the 2019 World Cup as well. However, New Zealand handed an 18-run defeat to the Men in Blue in the semi-final and shattered their dream of lifting the trophy.</p>
<p>During his captaincy stint, Kohli came under fierce criticism for not winning any major trophies for the nation. In 2021, the ICC Test Championship final loss and the embarrassing <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20-world-cup" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>T20 World Cup</strong></a> campaign made the matter worse. After the T20 World Cup 2021, he relinquished the shortest format’s captaincy. In January 2022, Kohli stepped down as India’s captain from ODI and Tests as well.</p>
<h3>IPL Career:</h3>
<p>In 2008, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) roped in Virat Kohli for INR 12 lakh at the auction. &nbsp;Since the maiden season of the tournament, he has been a vital cog in the team due to his incredible batting potential. After serving the franchise efficiently for five seasons, he got the captaincy mantle in 2013. In 2016, Kohli had the best <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPL</a></strong> season as he looked effective with the bat, becoming the highest run-scorer in the competition with a record 973 runs in the season, including four centuries.. However, with captaincy, he couldn’t help the team to win their maiden title losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final. In 2021, he left the captaincy after leading the franchise for nine seasons.&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Virat Kohli Personal Life:</h3>
<p>In 2013, Virat Kohli started dating Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma. His relationship with the diva got a lot of media attention. On December 11, 2017, both got married in a private ceremony in Florence, Italy. After more than three years of marriage, the couple became parents as they welcomed a daughter, Vamika, in Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital.</p>

Virat Kohli Latest News: Check out the latest cricket news and updates on Virat Kohli, including interviews, news headlines highlighting his performances and achievements on CricTracker.

Virat Kohli