Early life and career
Virat Kohli was born on 5 November 1988, in Delhi, India. He attended the Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, where he was noticed for his talent in cricket. He went on to study commerce at the Shri Ram College of Commerce. He also played for the Indian Under-19 cricket team at the age of 18. In 2008, he was selected for the Indian Test team. Kohli is an aggressive left-handed batsman who plays with passion and aggression. Driven by a strong sense of self-belief, he focuses on taking on the opposition and can manipulate the field to suit his needs. He is also a capable left-arm orthodox bowler who has previously represented the Indian national team in Test, One Day International, and Twenty20 International cricket.
Achievements and accolades
Kohli has enjoyed an extremely successful career at the international level, where he has established himself as one of the best batsmen in the world. In his first five years as a Test cricketer, he had an average of over 50 and was ranked as the number-one batsman in the world. During this period, he was also the fastest batsman to score 10,000 Test runs. In the limited-overs formats, he has been no less impressive, being the only Indian batsman to score at least 10,000 runs in this format. He has also been the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the ICC Cricketer of the Year and the BCCI Cricketer of the Year for five consecutive years, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, and the Padma Shri.
Impact on Indian cricket
Virat Kohli is undoubtedly one of the greatest batsmen of all time, but his impact on Indian cricket is not restricted to his performance alone. His commitment to excellence has rubbed off on many of his teammates, and Indian cricket has seen a marked improvement in the last few years. Under Kohli's leadership, the Indian team has achieved success in a wide range of formats, from winning series on home soil against top teams like Australia, England, and South Africa, to winning the ICC Champions Trophy, the World Cup for Team title, and the Asia Cup.
Leadership qualities
Virat Kohli is widely regarded as one of the best captains in the game, having led the Indian national team to many significant achievements, including winning the ICC Champions Trophy in June 2017, and emerging as the top ODI team in the world. His self-confidence, his commitment to excellence, his calm temperament, and his ability to inspire and motivate his teammates have contributed greatly to his success as a captain. His excellent communication skills and his ability to read the game and his opposition have been instrumental in his team's success. He is also very respectful of his opposition and has shown great sportsmanship and humility in his interactions with the media and his opponents.
Role model for aspiring cricketers
Over the years, Virat Kohli has emerged as a source of inspiration for millions of aspiring cricketers, not only in India but also across the world. His dedication to the sport, his commitment to excellence, his drive toward achieving his goals, and his humility make him a role model for many young cricketers. He is one of the most popular cricketers in the world, and he regularly interacts with his fans and is extremely generous in sharing his knowledge and experience with aspiring cricketers. Virat Kohli's brand endorsements include partnerships with several blue-chip companies such as PepsiCo, Amazon, Audi, Reebok, MRF, and Colgate. Kohli has been the face of PepsiCo’s sports campaign ‘Cricket Wahey’ and has been featured in several of the company’s advertisements. He has also appeared in PepsiCo’s ‘Break the Rules’ campaign. Kohli has been one of the most sought-after athletes in India, and he has been endorsed by Reebok since 2012. He signed a contract with Amazon in 2017 to become the face of their clothing brand, where he is expected to design his line of fashion clothing. In 2019, he became the first brand ambassador for Audi India.
Virat Kohli's quotes
Virat Kohli's quotes The best thing about my job is that I get to challenge myself every day. There's nothing more fulfilling than mastering something that you had no idea about yesterday. I think the best thing about cricket is that it teaches you life skills. It teaches you about perseverance and it teaches you about dealing with failure. Cricket is a very, very tough sport and you will have to go through a lot of ups and downs. In those times, you have to look inside yourself and find the right way to come back strong. These are just names. If you think they are better, then you need to work harder and prove it. We are trying to do our best and we are not going to sit back just because they have won a World Cup.
