Virat Kohli is an Indian international cricketer, counted amongst the top sportsmen in India. Considered to be among the best batsmen in the present era, he also doubles up as an occasional right-arm medium pace bowler. He is known for his dependable and powerful batting style and has single-handedly won several matches for India. Virat became fascinated with cricket quite early on in his life and took to the bat when he was just three. His parents recognized his potential and had him enrolled at the West Delhi Cricket Academy when he was nine years old. He developed into a very talented player over the ensuing years and represented his city Delhi at various age-group levels and domestic cricket. His first major success came in 2008 when he captained India Under-19s to victory at the 2008 Under-19 World Cup. Soon he was selected to play for the Indian team and established himself as a valuable middle order player. After having gained a reputation as an “ODI specialist”, he has proved his mettle in test cricket as well. Virat Kohli captained the Indian cricket team across all three formats, between 2013 and 2022. He is married to famous Indian actressaa anushaka Sharma
Family:
Spouse/Ex-: Anushka Sharma
Father: Prem Kohli
Mother: Saroj Kohli
Siblings: Bhavna Kholi, Vikash Kholi
Children: Vamika Kohli
Virat koli
More Facts
Awards: 2012 – ICC One Day International Player Of The Year Award
2012 – People’s Choice Awards India For Favorite Sportsperson
2013 – Arjuna Award For Cricket
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Childhood & Early Life
Virat Kohli was born on 5 November 1988, in Delhi, India, to Prem Kohli and Saroj Kohli. His father was a criminal lawyer while his mother is a housewife. He has two siblings: an elder brother, Vikash, and an elder sister, Bhavna.
He became interested in cricket when he was a little boy. Aged just three, he would pick up a cricket bat and ask his father to bowl to him. He received his early schooling from Vishal Bharti Public School.
His interest in cricket continued to grow and his father him enrolled at the West Delhi Cricket Academy when Virat was nine. He trained at the academy under Rajkumar Sharma and also played matches at the Sumit Dogra Academy.
In 2002, he played for Delhi Under-15 team and became the leading run-getter in the 2002–03 Polly Umrigar Trophy tournament. He was made the captain of the team for the 2003–04 Polly Umrigar Trophy.
He was selected in the Delhi Under-17 team for the 2003–04 Vijay Merchant Trophy. He scored 470 runs in four matches at an average of 117.50 with two hundreds. He repeated his fabulous performance the next season too, and helped Delhi lift the 2004–05 Vijay Merchant Trophy.
His consistent performances earned him a place in the India Under-19 squad on its tour of England in 2006. He averaged 105 in the three-match ODI series which the India Under-19 squad won. He also performed remarkably against Pakistan’s U-19 cricket team later that year.
His father died in 2006 when Kohli was just 18. His father had been his biggest support and his untimely death plunged the family into a financial crisis. With more responsibilities on his young shoulders now, Kohli began taking the game even more seriously.
In 2008, he led the Indian team to victory at the 2008 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia. Following this, he was bought by the Indian Premier League franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore, for $30,000 on a youth contract.
Virat Kohli is known his tremendous mental strength and one incident amply testifies it. When Virat Kohli lost his father he was in the midst of a Ranji Trophy match, playing for Delhi. He got a call at 3 am and came to know that his father has died. He was the overnight batsman for Delhi and his team was in a difficult situation. He scored a match saving 90 runs for his team the next day and went to his dad’s funeral after that innings.
Business Ventures & Investments
Football is said to be Virat’s second favourite sport. In 2014, he bought the FC Goa franchise of the Indian Super League (ISL) stating that as a football lover he wanted to see the sport grow in India. He also stated that it was a future investment for him.
In 2014, Kohli became the brand ambassador and a stakeholder in the London-based social networking venture ‘Sport Convo’.
In November 2014, Kohli in association with Anjana Reddy’s Universal Sportsbiz (USPL) launched a fashion label WROGN. The brand sells men’s casual wear, and it has tied up with online major Myntra.com and Shopper’s Stop.
In September 2015, Virat Kohli became the co-owner of the UAE Royals franchise of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL). The IPTL is an annual team tennis event that is played across various cities in Asia.
