'King' turns 36: The Rise, Reign and Legacy of Virat Kohli

Every cricketer, in his career, goes through multiple phases, some meek, some the highlights of his journey in the sport. Virat Kohli is that one player who, when enters the highs, ensures that the record books keep chanting his name for days to come. Now, as the player turns 36, Kohli has already etched his name among the best players to have graced the game of cricket. While Kohli is currently facing a dry spell in his career, the feats he has achieved over his 16-year career speak volumes about the batter’s caliber. As the nation celebrates the birthday of the modern-day cricketing legend today, Kohli looks to script a turnaround in his red-ball form for the upcoming Border Gavaskar series.

A look at the golden run of Virat Kohli, the 'King' of Indian Cricket

Virat Kohli entered the Indian cricket setup in 2008, making his international debut during the Sri Lanka tour. Prior to his induction into the senior men’s team, Kohli had won the U-19 World Cup as the team’s skipper in 2008. From his debut in the Sri Lanka ODIs, Kohli, with eye-catching performances, tracked his way into the T20I format in 2010 and subsequently the Test squad in 2011. From his debut in 2008 up to the days before the 2011 ODI World Cup, Kohli had already smashed four centuries. His impressive and consistent showing in the white-ball format earned him a place in the Indian team for the 2011 ODI World Cup. That fateful year, at the age of 22, Kohli won his first World Cup as India lifted the ODI trophy under the leadership of MS Dhoni.

There was no stopping Kohli from there onwards. The swashbuckling batter commenced a record-breaking batting display for India across formats. Within a few years, Kohli had placed himself as a trusted ally to the then-skipper, MS Dhoni. Dhoni, meanwhile, eyed Kohli as a future prospect for the leading position, eventually appointing the Delhi-based star as the team’s vice-captain. Apart from his prowess with the bat, Kohli earned a unique place for himself with his aggressive attitude on the field. From sledging formidable opponents like Australia and England to validating his charged-up display with notable knocks, Kohli swiftly became a celebrated player among cricket fans.

In this ongoing year, Virat Kohli along with team India finally won an ICC trophy after a long wait of over a decade. Kohli played an elemental role in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa, which witnessed India finally winning the T20 World Cup trophy for the first time after 2007. Marking the historic victory as a fitting moment, Virat Kohli announced his retirement from the shortest format of the sport.

The 2016 saga: Best of Virat Kohli in the game

2016 marked a golden year for Kohli, as he broke multiple records across all formats of the game. That year, Kohli averaged over an impressive 70 across formats. Starting with the IPL, Kohli scored a whopping 973 runs in the league for RCB, with four tons to his name. His 973-run tally remains an unbeaten record for the most runs scored by an individual in a single IPL season. Internationally, his 2016 standings were even more impressive as he topped the batting charts while competing with the likes of Steve Smith, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson, his contemporaries in the ‘Fab 4’ of the game.

It was in 2016 that Kohli cemented his place among the likes of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Don Bradman, and Ricky Ponting. Kohli became only the third player, after Bradman and Ponting, to score three double tons in a calendar year. Moreover, he became the only Indian captain to score as many double centuries in the game. A seasoned skipper by then, Virat Kohli also became the first Indian captain to claim nine Test wins in a year. Furthermore, the then-27-year-old became the first Indian player, after Rahul Dravid, to score more than 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year. These were just a few of the many records smashed by Kohli in a year where he scored 2,595 runs in 41 international innings at an average of 86.50.

What's next for the modern-day legend of Indian Cricket?

Now, as Kohli experiences the later years of his career, the ‘King’ has the task of redeeming his form once again. This year has not yet witnessed the best of Virat Kohli. India recently concluded the home Test season, where they faced England at the start of the year, and Bangladesh and New Zealand at the end. Across the ten home Tests played by the team, Kohli featured in five, having missed the entirety of the five-match England series. In these five matches, Kohli managed to score just 192 runs at an average of 21.33. 

India next faces Australia in the five-match Border Gavaskar series, slated to unfold in the Kangaroos’ den this time. As the team prepares for the challenge Down Under, Kohli needs to show up with the bat and demonstrate the true potential of the star batter he once was. On the Australia tour, India not only has to defend the Border Gavaskar Trophy but also vie for their chance to qualify for the upcoming WTC Final. Moving forward, now that Kohli has hung his boots from T20Is, the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy will be another major white-ball event for Kohli to ace. Nonetheless, dry spell or purple patch, Virat Kohli remains one of the greatest players India has produced in the sport.