According to most cricket experts, Virat Kohli has been crowned the king of modern cricket. Whether you look at his records in the shorter format of cricket or test matches, Kohli has consistently performed in every format.
For all youngsters and cricket fans, Virat Kohli is truly the role model of how hard work can bring consistency in your performance.
He is the highest run-scorer in the IPL tournament and holds the record for most runs in a single season of IPL.
The past couple of years were not significant for Kohli, but now he is making a comeback as he scored his 71st century in Asia Cup against Afghanistan.
Read More: What Is A Bye In Cricket
Why is Virat Kohli called King of Cricket?
Whether you talk about consistency in the performance or look at stats, Virat Kohli is on another level of cricket.
With 71 centuries and a 50 plus across all three formats, Virat is undoubtedly the best cricketer world has seen.
He has an impeccable record while chasing and is regarded as the ‘Chase Master” by cricketing experts.
While playing 262 ODI matches, Kohli scored 12,344 runs with an average of 57.68 and 43 centuries.
Virat scored 27 test centuries and one T-20 century this year against Afghanistan in Asia Cup 2022. He emerged as a star performer after playing a crucial role in winning India the trophy ICC World Cup 2022.
Throughout the years, Virat has grabbed the top position in ICC rankings across all three formats.
Not only is he successful in test matches, but he has also scored the fastest century in ODIs (51balls) for India and holds the highest score for hundreds (4) in a single season of IPL.
He is often called a “Run Machine” because of his hunger to score runs and perform every time he is out there batting on the crease.
Do You Know: What Is A Golden Duck In Cricket
Virat Kohli Awards
Along with the records, Virat Kohli also grabbed a lot of ICC awards and honors from the Indian government.
He has been awarded the highest sports honor of India, the Arjuna Award, and the third highest civilian honor of India, Padam Shree, for his massive contribution to popularizing cricket in India.
Here’s a rundown of some major awards and achievements of Virat Kohli:
- Arjuna Award: 2013
- ICC ODI Player of the Year: 2012, 2017
- ICC ODI Team of the Year: 2012, 2014, 2016 (Captain), 2017 (Captain)
- Padma Shri: 2017
- Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year): 2017
- ICC Test Team of the Year: 2017 (Captain)
- Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Decade(2010-2020)
- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: 2018
Additionally, Virat has won hundreds of Man of Match, Series, and Player of The Tournament awards in international and IPL tournaments.
While captain of the India Under-19 team, he showed outstanding performance and helped India win the Under-19 World Cup of 2008. He scored a crucial fifty in the Under-19 World Cup final and was honored as the Player of the Tournament.
Read More: 10 Best Cricket Captain In The World
Virat Kohli Stats
Virat debuted for the Indian team against Sri Lanka on Aug 18, 2008, at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. However, he made into the limelight by scoring his first century against Sri Lanka and started his journey as the Chase Master.
The second major break for Kohli came in the 2011 World Cup, where he played many crucial knocks.
After being appointed as the full-time captain of India, his game only improved, and he played many crucial captains’ knocks to become India’s most successful test captain.
Take a look at stats of Virat Kohli across different formats of cricket to understand what makes him the king of cricket:
Format | Current Ranking | Matches | Highest Score | Runs | Strike Rate | Average | 100s | The 50s |
T20 | 15 | 108 | 122 | 3663 | 137.71 | 50.18 | 1 | 33 |
ODI | 5 | 262 | 183 | 12334 | 92.34 | 57.68 | 43 | 64 |
Test | 12 | 102 | 254 | 8074 | 55.69 | 50.10 | 27 | 28 |
IPL | – | 223 | 113 | 6624 | 129.15 | 36.2 | 5 | 44 |
Additionally, Virat has seven double centuries while scoring three centuries each in the years 2016 & 2017. Indian batters are commonly known to struggle in overseas conditions.
However, Virat has brought a dynamic change to this orthodox thinking with his incredible performance in overseas conditions.
Kohli fans cannot forget his crucial knock of 133 of 86 balls to keep India alive in the Commonwealth Bank Series of 2012.
Under his captaincy, India has shown remarkable performance in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) and clinched many series on foreign soil.
His first overseas tour as full-time test captain came against Australia, where Kohli showed fierce performance and scored two centuries in the first match at Adelaide.
Frequently Asked Question
Q1. Who is the new god of cricket?
Currently, the god of modern-day cricket is Virat Kohli, with his impressive record as a batter and captain. There are a few other modern-day great batters in fab-four, which includes Steve Smith, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, and Virat Kohli. However, all these players are way behind to catch with Virat Kohli across any format.
Q2. Which country is the king of cricket?
There have been a lot of debates on which country is the king of cricket. But as the statistics and expert reports show, India is currently rocking across all three formats. They have clinical in both home and away matches while putting on a brilliant display of cricket.
Q3. Who is the king of batting?
Virat Kohli is unquestionably the king of batting. He holds the record for the most number of centuries scored by an active player in international cricket.
Looking at his current performance and fitness level, experts predict that he will surpass Sachin Tendulkar in scoring the most centuries in international cricket.