The Unique First Wicket: Kevin Pietersen
Virat Kohli's first-ever international wicket is a fantastic piece of trivia. In a 2011 T20I against England, he was brought on to bowl for the first time in the format. His very first delivery was a wide down the leg side, but an alert MS Dhoni whipped
off the bails to stump a charging Kevin Pietersen. This made Kohli the only bowler in men's T20I history to take a wicket with the 'zeroth' ball of his career, as the wide didn't count as a legal delivery. Pietersen, who was a teammate of Kohli's at Royal Challengers Bengaluru, later jokingly called it an "unplayable delivery".
The Test Captain: Alastair Cook
Kohli has bowled 175 balls in Test cricket without ever taking a wicket, but he did dismiss future England Test captain Alastair Cook in a 2011 ODI. During a match in Cardiff, Kohli’s gentle medium pace produced a delivery that Cook chopped onto his stumps. It was a significant breakthrough, dismissing the well-set opener and adding a prized name to his very short list of victims. The scalp of a player as resilient as Cook remains a major highlight of Kohli’s sporadic bowling efforts in international cricket.
The World Cup Wicket: Scott Edwards
One of Kohli's most celebrated wickets came during the 2023 ODI World Cup in a match against the Netherlands. With the crowd roaring for him to have a bowl, captain Rohit Sharma obliged. Kohli came on and, with his typical enthusiasm, induced a faint edge from the Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards, which was caught by the wicketkeeper. The wicket, his first in an ODI since 2014, sent the stadium and his teammates into raptures, showcasing the sheer joy he brings to every aspect of the game.
The T20 World Cup Breakthrough: Johnson Charles
In the high-pressure semi-final of the 2016 T20 World Cup against the West Indies, MS Dhoni turned to Kohli for a golden-arm moment. He delivered immediately, dismissing the dangerous Johnson Charles with his very first ball of the spell. Charles tried to smash a friendly full toss but only managed to hit it straight to long-off. While India ultimately lost the match, Kohli's knack for breaking partnerships at crucial moments was on full display.
The Kiwi Destroyer: Brendon McCullum
Another legendary name on Kohli's list is the formidable New Zealand captain, Brendon McCullum. During a 2014 ODI in Wellington, Kohli got one to straighten just enough to catch the outside edge of McCullum's bat, resulting in a simple catch for the wicketkeeper. Dismissing one of the most destructive batsmen of his generation was a significant feather in the cap for the part-time bowler. McCullum would later become one of the four batsmen Kohli dismissed in the IPL.
Other Notable Scalps
Across his international career, Kohli has taken a total of nine wickets. Besides the big names, his ODI victims include England's Craig Kieswetter and Samit Patel, both in 2011, and South Africa's Quinton de Kock in 2013. In T20Is, he dismissed Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez during the 2012 T20 World Cup. In the Indian Premier League, he has four wickets to his name, all taken for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He claimed two in a single match against the Deccan Chargers in 2008, dismissing Chamara Silva and Ravi Teja. His other two IPL wickets are Wriddhiman Saha (Chennai Super Kings) and Brendon McCullum (Kochi Tuskers Kerala), both in 2011.
