Virat Kohli has been known for his aggression on & off the fields always being on the front foot and that’s what makes him a leader & a batsman of all significances.
Truly, we know nothing less about Virat, but on this day we are going to take you through somethings that most of us don’t really know about the current ICC ODI No.1 batsman. 16 Lesser known facts about Virat :
16. Virat was the captain of the India U-19 team that won the ICC U-19 World Cup 2008
Virat led India U-19 World Cup to win ICC U-19 World Cup in 2008 held in Malaysia. India beat South Africa in the finals. Virat was the most successful Indian batsman throughout the tournament, and that’s what led the foundation of his selection into the Indian National Cricket team.
15. He is the first and only cricketer to score a ton on his World Cup debut
Virat scored a century of 83 balls against Bangladesh during his debut match in the 2011 World Cup.
14. Virat is the only player who never been on the IPL auction list
The captain of IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore is the only player never to be auctioned. Back in 2008, he was picked up by RCB from the U-19 draft, and since then he has been part of the team in each season on IPL.
13. In 2006, he was playing a Ranji match against Karnataka when his father passed away. But he batted on the next day and scored 90 runs
Following the sad news of the demise of his father, and still, Virat decided to bat for his home-team Delhi against Karnataka during Ranji Trophy 2006 and scored crucial 90 runs. His father always had a dream of watching Virat being a successful cricketer.
12. He was listed in ‘Best dressed man of 2012’ along with US President Barack Obama
Virat always made a difference with his presence both on and off the field. In 2012, Virat was named in the list of ‘Best dressed man of 2012’ which also featured Barack Obama.
11. SportsPro has rated him 13th most remarkable sportsperson in the World
SportsPro named Virat the 13th most remarkable sportsperson in the world, the list also featured Cristiano Ronaldo and Usain Bolt.
10. Fastest century by an Indian in ODI
Virat scored a 100 in just 52 balls against Australia in 2013 setting up the record of the fastest century by an Indian cricketer in One-day cricket.
9. Virat keeping with gloves on behind the stumps
Very rare, but Virat was seen behind the stumps couple of times. Once during a test match against South Africa when MS Dhoni rolled up to bowl, Virat stood behind the stumps. In another incident against Bangladesh, Dhoni went out of the field for an over, and Virat did his job for that instance.
8. He is the only cricketer to score 500+ runs in a bilateral ODI series
Virat scored 558 runs in a 6 match ODI bilateral series against South Africa 2018 playing an important role to drive the team through a 5-1 series victory.
7. Highest run scorer in a single IPL season
The Royal Challengers Bangalore captain owns the record of scoring the highest runs in a single season of IPL. In the IPL edition of 2016, Virat made 973 runs in 16 matches with an average of 81.08, and a strike rate of 152.03.
6. A unique world record in bowling
Every now and then, Virat has been seen bowling but, Virat owns this very strange yet unique record with the ball. Virat is the first bowler to take a wicket off the zeroth delivery of his T20I career. He bowled a wide-ball against Kevin Pieterson on the crease, Pieterson missed the ball while trying to attack it and Dhoni being behind the stumps was quick to remove the bails.
5. Youngest player to be named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year
Virat was named the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year at the age of 23 in the year 2012, being the youngest player to be honored with the award.
4. Virat drinks bottled-water shipped from France worth ₹600/L
Virat Kohli only drinks Evian Natural Springwater. A bottle of water that is 100% natural water and is obtained from sources near Évian-Les-Bains is known to be uncontaminated with any chemicals at all.
3. Fastest batsman to reach 10,000 runs milestone in ODI
Virat broke the record of Sachin Tendulkar to become the fastest batsman to complete 10 thousand runs in ODI cricket playing 205 innings.
2. Ranked 66th among ‘Forbes 100 World’s highest-paid athletes in 2020’
Forbes positioned Virat Kohli at 66 among ‘100 World’s highest-paid athletes in 2020’ with an estimated earning of USD 26 million. He is also the only Indian to be featured on that list.
1. Only Asian captain to win Tests in England, Australia & South Africa
The current Indian skipper has carried forward the legacy of MS Dhoni in the best possible way, leading the national team to win tests against all the major cricket playing nations being the first & only Asian captain to do so.
Virat Kohli has scored a mountain of runs though-out all the formats of cricket which comprises 7240 runs in 86 test, 11867 runs in 248 ODI’s, and 2794 runs in 82 T20I matches. He is taking forward the standards, and legacy of Indian batsmen which was set on top by Sachin Tendulkar. As a captain, he stood firm and proved himself against all the questions asked after Dhoni stepped-out of leadership.
Virat, who is soon going to be a father, is awaiting a new life in the family with Anushka Sharma. We wish him great years coming forward, and we hope he adds more wins, runs, and glamour to the game along with happiness to his personal life.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHEEKU! As we celebrate a great batsman and a real leader today.
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