Virat Kohli is an Indian cricketer who is considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He was born on November 5, 1988, in Delhi, India, to a middle-class family. His father, Prem Kohli, worked as a criminal lawyer, while his mother, Saroj Kohli, was a housewife.
Kohli developed a keen interest in cricket from a very young age and began playing the game at the age of three. He was initially coached by Rajkumar Sharma, who recognized his talent and potential as a cricketer. Kohli began playing competitive cricket at the age of 9 and was selected to represent Delhi in the Under-15 team when he was just 12 years old.
Kohli's talent and dedication soon caught the attention of the national selectors, and he was selected to play for India's Under-19 team in 2006. He was named captain of the team for the 2008 Under-19 World Cup, which India won under his leadership. His performances in the tournament caught the eye of the cricketing world, and he was signed by the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the 2008 season.
Kohli made his international debut for India in August 2008, in an ODI against Sri Lanka. He had a slow start to his career, but he soon established himself as a regular member of the Indian team. In 2011, Kohli was part of the Indian team that won the Cricket World Cup, which was held in India. He played a crucial role in the tournament, scoring 282 runs in 9 matches, including a century in the crucial semifinal against Pakistan.
The Rise Of Virat Kohli's Career
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Kohli's career reached new heights in 2012 when he was named the vice-captain of the Indian team. He scored his first Test century in the same year, against Australia in Adelaide. He went on to score another century in the same series, becoming the first Indian batsman to score two centuries in a Test series in Australia. Kohli's performances in the series earned him the Man of the Series award, and he was quickly becoming one of the top batsmen in the world.
Kohli's rise to the top continued in 2013, when he was named the captain of the Indian team for the first time, in a series against Zimbabwe. He became the regular captain of the Indian team in 2017, following the retirement of MS Dhoni. Kohli's leadership skills and aggressive style of play have been praised by cricket experts and fans alike. Under his captaincy, India has achieved significant success, including a historic series win in Australia in 2021, where they became the first Indian team to win a Test series in Australia.
Kohli's batting records are truly remarkable. He has scored over 22,000 runs in international cricket, including 70 centuries and 105 half-centuries. He is currently ranked as the world's number one batsman in both Test and ODI cricket. Kohli has also been recognized for his performances with numerous awards and accolades, including the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2017 and 2018, and the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World award in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
The Downfall Of Virat Kohli's Career
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Between 2019-2021, Virat Kohli experienced a dip in form, which is considered as one of the most significant career downfalls in his cricketing journey. Kohli's poor form during this period was a major cause of concern for Indian cricket fans and analysts, especially because he had been one of the most consistent batsmen in the world until then.
One of the main reasons for Kohli's downfall during this period was his poor performances in overseas Test matches. Kohli, who had been dominant in home conditions, struggled to score runs in foreign conditions. During India's tour of New Zealand in early 2020, Kohli managed to score just 38 runs in four innings, with an average of 9.50, and was dismissed by Trent Boult four times in the series. This was followed by a poor showing in the Test series against Australia later in the year, where he scored just 129 runs in four innings, with an average of 32.25.
Kohli's form in the limited-overs format also took a hit during this period. He managed to score just one century in 26 innings in ODI cricket during this period, and his average dropped from 59.34 to 45.28. His strike rate also took a dip, going down from 96.01 to 87.72. In T20Is, his average dropped from 53.14 to 28.12, and his strike rate fell from 141.68 to 120.89.
Another factor that affected Kohli's form during this period was his captaincy. The pressure of leading the Indian team across formats seemed to have taken a toll on Kohli, and his performances suffered as a result. In interviews, he admitted that he was struggling with the mental aspects of the game and that he needed to take a break to refresh himself.
Kohli's dip in form also had an impact on the Indian team's performance. In his absence, the team struggled to find a stable middle order, and the results suffered. India failed to win a single Test match during their tour of New Zealand in early 2020 and was defeated 2-1 by Australia later in the year. In ODI cricket, India lost a series to New Zealand at home and was knocked out of the 2019 World Cup in the semi-finals.
The Comeback Of Vintage Virat Kohli
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However, Kohli did not let his downfall affect him for too long. He took a break from cricket to focus on his mental and physical well-being and returned to the team in early 2021 with a refreshed mindset. In the Test series against England in India, Kohli scored a crucial century in the second Test in Chennai, which helped India win the match and level the series. He also scored a half-century in the fourth Test, which helped India win the series 3-1.
In the limited-overs format, Kohli's form also improved significantly. He scored two centuries in the ODI series against England, which India won 2-1. He also scored an unbeaten 73 in the fifth T20I against England, which helped India win the match and the series 3-2.
Virat Kohli brought up a maiden T20I century against Afghanistan on 8 September 2022 and he scores this century after 3 years. He ends up the drought of the century and also ends up the wait of every Indian Cricket Team fan, he scored 122* runs in just 61 balls.
After that Virat Kohli again scored a ton against Bangladesh in the ODI match on 10 December 2022 and he scored a century in ODI cricket after 3 years, he scored 113* runs in just 91 balls and India won that match. However, he again scores 2 centuries in ODI and both centuries have come against Sri Lanka but fans are eagerly waiting for his test century.
In the recent Borde-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, Virat Kohli did not score well in the first three test matches. In the first test match, he scored only 12 runs in 26 balls, in the second test match he misses his half-century by 6 runs he scored 44 runs in 84 balls in the first innings, and in the second innings he scored only 20 runs in 31 balls and in the third test match he scored only 22 runs in 52 balls in the first innings and he scored only 13 runs in 26 balls in the second innings but despite the poor performances in the first three test matches no one is expecting that Virat Kohli will score a century against Australia. However, in the first innings, when wickets are falling down quickly then Virat Kohli shows his class with his defensive shots, Virat Kohli is really playing defensively and also with discipline and however, he managed to score a test century against Australia and end up his century drought in test cricket, he scores a century in cricket after more than 3 years and every single cricket fan was really happy for Virat Kohli on that day, he scores186 runs in 364 balls and he proves that everyone why he king of cricket world.
In conclusion, Virat Kohli experienced a dip in form between 2019-2021, which was a cause of concern for Indian cricket fans and analysts. However, Kohli's resilience and determination helped him overcome this period, and he returned to form with a refreshed mindset. His performances in the Test and limited-overs formats in 2022 and early 2023 showed that he was back to his best and that he remained one of the most dominant batsmen in the world.