Virat Kohli And His Legacy Of Winning 3 ICC Trophies

Virat Kohli made his debut in International cricket against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in August 2008 at 19 years he started showing class in International cricket after becoming a name in domestic cricket from Delhi. He represented Delhi's under-15 cricket team as a captain, where he performed brilliantly and showed his passion for sports. His first half-century in National Cricket came against Haryana, where he scored 70 runs at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi, and marked his presence in domestic cricket in style. By the end of the season, the Delhi-born boy had a total of 172 runs, emerging as the highest run-scorer for his side with an excellent average of 34.40. 

From being a youngster to One of the best batters in the cricketing world, it's not everyone's cup of tea. But Virat has achieved this in his international career of 16 years. Not only that! he is the only Indian cricketer with Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni to be part of a World Cup-winning team in 3 ICC events. Through this article, we will talk about Virat Kohli's legacy of winning 3 ICC trophies.

1. ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

It was the debut World Cup for the star Indian cricketer in 2011, which was happening in India, having star-studded experience players like Sehwag, Sachin, Gambhir, the Delhi-born boy got his place in the Indian team as a middle-order batsman under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.

Kohli was picked up in 2011 squad on the basis of his performance in domestic cricket and as a middle-order batsman for the Indian cricket team. Despite playing his first World Cup, the Run-machine impressed everyone as in the opening game against Bangladesh, Kohli scored his debut World Cup ton at Mirpur along with former Indian Cricketer Virendra Sehwag, who scored a double hundred, taking revenge for India's defeat in the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

The "GOAT" of Indian cricket team finished the tournament with  282 runs in 9 matches, including a hundred and a fifty. However, Kohli had said that the 35 he scored in the final was probably one of the most important knocks of his career, as he came to the crease under pressure condition when Men in Blue were 2-wickets down on the score of 31 runs while chasing a target of 274 runs at Wankhede Stadium. Kohli not only handled the pressure but also formed a crucial partnership of 83 runs with former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir for the 4th wicket, taking the Indian team one step closer to victory in ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2011.

2. 2013 ICC Champions Trophy

It was the third ICC event for the Indian cricketer after making his debut in the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2012 ICC Men's T20 World Cup which was played in England, under the captaincy of legendary MS Dhoni.

After representing the Indian cricket team at the age of 22 years in 2011 World Cup, the young Kohli became a big name in international cricket with his performance after India's victory in 2011 at number 3, on the place of Master Blaster, who took retirement from international cricket in 2013.

India won the tournament by defeating England in the final by 5 runs, Virat Kohli was the hero of the Indian innings by scoring 43 runs in 34 balls at Birmingham. He finished the tournament as the third-highest run-getter by scoring 176 runs in 5 games with an average of 58, having 1 half-centuries to his name. It was India's top batters, Virat, Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan who performed brilliantly throughout the tournament and were the three leading run-scorers from the Indian team, helping India to lift the Champions trophy.

3. 2024 ICC T20 World Cup

Despite performing well in last year's ICC Men's 2022 World Cup, India lost in the final match against Australia by 6 wickets at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad after dominating the tournament by winning 9 back-to-back matches. No doubt! It was a disheartening loss by the Indian team and they were waiting for the right time to forget that horrific loss last year, which they got in the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup by defeating South Africa in the final by 7 runs at Kingstown Stadium.

Virat Kohli entered the marquee event after scoring the most runs in the 17th edition of the IPL (Indian Premier League) from the Bangalore-based franchise. However, despite his brilliant form, Kohli was seen struggling with his form throughout the tournament before playing his last T20I knock for the Indian team in the finals against South Africa when the Indian team were 3 wickets down on the score of 34 runs.

Kohli handled the pressure condition but also made a solid partnership of 72 runs with Axar Patel, taking the Indian team to a defendable total of 176 runs.

Kohli played a crucial role in India's win in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup by playing a match-winning knock of 76 runs in 59 balls, hitting 6 boundaries and 2 maximums all over the ground, which helped the Indian team to defend the total by 7 runs. Virat Kohli was awarded with player of the match for his incredible contribution, ending his T20I career on a high note.