Indian cricket has produced several legendary batters, but few have combined consistency, aggression and an appetite for big occasions quite like Virat Kohli. Born on November 5, 1988, in Delhi, the former
Indian captain turns 38 as he celebrates another birthday as one of the most accomplished batters in the history of the game.
Kohli’s journey to the top began with India’s Under-19 World Cup triumph in 2008, where he captained the team to the title in Malaysia. Later that year, he made his senior international debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka. He then went on to become one of India’s most dependable match-winners.
EDEN PARK CELEBRATING VIRAT KOHLI. ❤️ https://t.co/yKqZ0q8uaI
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 4, 2026
His rise was particularly impressive in the 2011 World Cup. Although he was still establishing himself in international cricket, Kohli played an important role in India’s successful campaign. He scored a century against Bangladesh in the opening match and contributed 35 runs in the final against Sri Lanka, sharing a crucial partnership with Gautam Gambhir.
Over the years, Kohli became particularly famous for his ability to chase targets. His outstanding record in successful ODI run chases earned him the nickname ‘Chase Master’. He also established himself as one of the finest batters across formats, scoring runs consistently against some of the strongest bowling attacks in world cricket.
Virat Kohli’s records and achievements that make him one of the all-time great
One of his biggest achievements came during the 2023 ODI World Cup. Kohli enjoyed a remarkable tournament, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 765 runs in 11 matches. He scored three centuries and six half-centuries, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most hundreds in ODI cricket when he scored his 50th against New Zealand in the semi-final.
Most runs scorer for India in big tournaments since Asia Cup 2022:
In Asia Cup 2022 – Virat Kohli.
In T20 WC 2022 – Virat Kohli (in World).
In BGT 2023 – Virat Kohli.
In WTC 2023 – Virat Kohli.
In WC 2023 – Virat Kohli.
Most runs overall – Virat Kohli.– The 🐐…!!!!! https://t.co/OVmP0tli40
— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) November 6, 2023
His career statistics show his remarkable consistency. Kohli has scored more than 28,000 international runs, including 30 Test centuries, 55 ODI centuries and one T20I hundred. His ODI centuries are the most by any batter in the format, while he remains second only to Tendulkar on the list of most international centuries.
Kohli has also been part of several major triumphs for India, including the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2013 Champions Trophy and 2024 T20 World Cup. He retired from T20 internationals after the 2024 final, where he scored a match-winning 76 against South Africa, before announcing his retirement from Test cricket in May 2025.
