November 5 is a date that's extremely special not just for Indian cricket but for world cricket as a whole. Because this was the day when a player was born whose bat broke numerous records, taking the sport to an entirely different level both as a captain and a player. Considered the most prominent successor to Sachin Tendulkar, fans and experts expect him to break the monumental record of 100 international centuries. This player is none other than Virat Kohli, who celebrates his 38th birthday today. Born on November 5, 1988, in Delhi, Virat Kohli turns 38 today. While his sheer stature and endless records speak volumes about his legacy, let us dive into 38 amazing facts about him on the occasion of his 38th birthday.
Here are 38 fascinating and lesser-known facts about Virat Kohli:
- Virat Kohli wears jersey number 18 in memory of his late father, Prem Kohli, who passed away on December 18, 2006.
- Following his father's death, Virat Kohli returned to the field the very next day to play a Ranji Trophy match and scored 90 runs.
- After his father's demise, his family faced financial hardship, and Virat had to live in a rented house.
- Virat Kohli's first bat was an RNS Larsons brand bat, which cost 1000 rupees.
- Virat Kohli's nickname 'Cheeku' was given to him by his coach Ajit Chaudhary because his haircut made him look like a cartoon rabbit.
- Virat held a cricket bat for the very first time when he was just 3 years old.
- He officially enrolled in the West Delhi Cricket Academy on May 30, 1998.
- In his childhood, Virat used to remain not out in the junior group, which is why he constantly insisted on playing with the senior group.
- Virat wrote in his childhood scrapbook that he would grow up to become an Indian cricketer, and he turned that dream into reality.
- After seeing a poster during his childhood, Virat declared that he would grow up to become a huge star and marry a heroine. He eventually married Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma.
- Virat Kohli has also kept wickets twice for Team India, doing so in one Test match and one ODI match.
- Virat is the only player in T20 International history to take a wicket on the zeroth ball, which was a wide, by getting Kevin Pietersen stumped.
- Virat Kohli has never entered the IPL auction. In 2008, he was drafted by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and has been retained by them ever since.
- Virat Kohli loves Japanese cuisine the most. He also used to consume biryani and kheer in large amounts during his younger days.
- Bollywood actress Karisma Kapoor was Virat's first childhood crush.
- Virat Kohli has multiple tattoos on his body, including a samurai warrior and a dragon.
- Virat Kohli exclusively drinks Evian natural spring water, which is estimated to cost up to 4000 rupees per liter.
- Virat Kohli is the first Indian to score a century on his ODI World Cup debut, achieving the feat against Bangladesh in 2011.
- He became the youngest player ever to win the ICC ODI Player of the Year award at the age of just 23.
- He is the only batsman to score a century in a rain-reduced 15-over T20 match.
- Virat Kohli is quite superstitious about his batting gear, continuing to use the same gloves and pads when he is in good form.
- Virat Kohli's favorite cricketer growing up was former South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs.
- During cross-country training runs, he would occasionally hitch a ride on a milkman's bicycle to pull ahead.
- Virat Kohli has never gotten out on the exact score of 17 runs in ODI cricket.
- Virat Kohli has scored the majority of his ODI centuries in the month of October.
- Virat Kohli is the first Indian to score an international century on both Independence Day and Republic Day.
- Virat Kohli has scored 7 double centuries as a Test captain, which is a world record.
- Virat Kohli was the sole Indian cricketer to attend the funeral of Phillip Hughes, who tragically passed away after being struck on the head by a ball.
- Virat Kohli holds the record for the most ODI centuries with a total of 55.
- Virat Kohli has scored the most runs in ODI run chases.
- Virat Kohli reached milestones of 8000, 9000, 10000, 11000, 12000, 13000, 14000, and 15000 runs in the fewest number of innings.
- Virat Kohli scored 10000 ODI runs in just 205 innings, setting a world record.
- Virat Kohli holds the world record for scoring 10 ODI centuries each against Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
- Virat Kohli has the most ODI centuries while successfully chasing targets.
- He holds the world record for scoring the most runs in a single World Cup edition with 765 runs.
- Virat holds the world record for scoring 13000 ODI runs while batting at the number 3 position.
- Among all players with 10000 plus runs in ODIs, Virat Kohli maintains the highest batting average.
- He is the only player to have a batting average of over fifty across ODIs played against South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and England.