Some batsmen some cricketers and there is a Virat Kohli. No athlete in any sport has ever melded brute talent, unquenchable thirst, and iron willpower like this Delhi-born batsman. Fans from all corners of the globe know him simply as ”King Kohli” a biography not just about a cricketer, but the boy who took heartbreak and turned it into motivation, then turned that motivation into one of cricket’s most illustrious careers.
Kohli’s career is intertwined with moments that went beyond sport from a 19-year-old on an emotional high scoring an unbeaten 90 to win a Ranji Trophy match alongside his father’s deathbed in 2007, before replacing Tendulkar ten years later and breaking the all-time ODI century record for men during a World Cup semi-final. It includes Virat Kohli Early Life, Family, Milestones and Records, Net Worth, Brand Endorsements & the latest news which includes his retirement from Test cricket as well.
Personal Details
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Virat Kohli |
| Date of Birth | November 5, 1988 |
| Age (as of 2026) | 37 years |
| Birthplace | Delhi, India |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm medium pace |
| International Debut | August 18, 2008 (ODI vs Sri Lanka) |
| Jersey Number | 18 |
| Nickname | King Kohli, Chikoo, Run Machine, Chase Master |
Early Life and Background
Virat Kohli was born in Uttam Nagar, West Delhi on November 5, 1988; he comes from a middle-class Punjabi family. His father, Prem Kohli, is a criminal lawyer while his mother Saroj Kohli was a housewife. He was raised with his elder sister, Bhavna and elder brother, Vikas.
It was something like cricket early and natural. It is claimed that by the time Kohli turned three, he would pick up a bat and ask his father to bowl at him. Acknowledging his irrational love for cricket, his father got the lad admitted to West Delhi Cricket Academy (WDCA) in 1998 and put him under renowned coach Rajkumar Sharma a man who would go on to be an omnipresent part of Dhoni’s life as a guiding mentor.
Vishal Bharti Public School for later Savier Convent School (Delhi) Kohli educated. He was reasonably good at academics, but simply loved the sport of cricket. His first proper game came when he was just nine and from then on displayed oldest head on young shoulders with the bat.
In December 2006, while representing Delhi in a Ranji Trophy game against Karnataka, Kohli had one such defining day. Prem Kohli, his father, died at around 3am on Saturday morning. Instead of pulling out of the match, the 18-year-old went back to the crease the following day and scored 90 runs only leaving the field to attend his father’s funeral. That innings showed the world all it needed to know about Virat Kohli.
Family and Personal Life
Kohli’s cricket has fetched him more than his fair share of headlines, but so too has his private life. On December 11, 2017, he married Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma in a private court marriage ceremony in Tuscany, Italy. The couple popularly called ”Virushka” is one of the most loved celebrity pairs in India.
They have two children together:
- Vamika Kohli, born on January 11th, 2021
- Akaay Kohli 15 February 2024
Even in the past, Kohli has been candid about how fatherhood transformed him, forcing a calm on and off the field surrounding a man that was once synonymous with high-octane aggression. Off the field, he is recognized as an energetic advocate for animal rights, health and plant-based nutrition changing to a nearly vegetarian diet sometime around 2018.
Cricket Career: A Format-by-Format Journey
The U-19 Foundation (2006–2008)
Virat Kohli led the India Under-19 side to victory in the 2008 ICC U-19 World Cup that was played in Malaysia a tournament where he made his worldwide debut. For the majority of his tenure, he was simply the best leader, combining a combination of tactical savvy and performances that won games all of which conspired to convince selectors he was ready at test level.
ODI Career: The Chase Master
August 18, 2008: Virat Kohli made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Dambulla. His rise was rapid. In India’s 2011 World Cup-winning unit, he became a key member, opening the batting in the final and scoring a sedate 35 while stabilising India’s chase alongside Gautam Gambhir.
Kohli had established himself as the best ODI batsman on the planet in the years that followed. He was dubbed “Chase Master” for his ability to run down targets an effortless hack of annihilating bowling attacks with cool, calculated aggression. He established an unreachable milestone: 27 ODI hundreds while chasing, more than any player in history.
In November 2023, in India’s ICC ODI World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, Kohli amassed his 50th ODI century at a packed Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai), surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s previous record of 49 ODI hundreds. It still remains one of the best moments in Indian cricketing history.
In 2026 Kohli had scored 14,797 runs in his 311 ODIs (59910) which puts him among the one-day greats.
Test Career: India’s Backbone in Whites
In fact, Kohli made his Test debut back in June 2011 against the West Indies in Jamaica. He evolved into not only a premier Test batsman but also maybe India’s most influential Test captain ever.
He captained India in 68 Tests the most Test wins (40) by any Indian captain as Test skipper. He has been pivotal in building India’s dictating overseas culture, leading the side to series wins Down Under (2018–19) and several home whitewashes.
Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket, which he announced on Instagram on May 12, 2025 (one week later) was emotional. “It’s been 14 years since I first put on the baggy blue in Test cricket. It’s not easy to walk away from this format but it feels right,” he wrote.
He ended his career as India’s fourth leading Test run-scorer, with 9,230 runs in 123 Test matches at an average of 46.85 out of which he notched up 30 tons and 31 fifties.
T20I Career and World Cup Glory
Kohli retired from T20 internationals after the 2024 T20 World Cup and India’s title run. With an average of 52.73 the highest career T20I average of all time he was one of the mainstays throughout his time in T20Is, and scored more than 4,000 runs.
IPL: A Lifelong Love Affair with RCB
It has been a single club career for Virat Kohli ever since the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) first season in 2008 Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). One Cricket season stands above the rest: 2016 IPL season where he scored a staggering 973 runs in just 16 matches including four centuries in a single season an unbroken record.
In IPL 2026, he plays for RCB again in a title-defending side. Kohli holds on to his dream of playing for India in the 2027 ODI World Cup, a statement he has made frequently.
Major Records and Achievements
Virat Kohli’s records span all three formats and cover almost every batting milestone imaginable:
- Most ODI centuries all-time: 50 (surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 49)
- Most runs in a single IPL season: 973 runs (2016)
- Fastest to 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, 11,000, 12,000, 13,000, and 14,000 ODI runs
- Most centuries while chasing in ODIs: 27
- Most Test wins as India captain: 40 wins in 68 matches
- First Indian to hold the No. 1 ICC ranking in all three formats simultaneously
- First cricketer to score 20,000 international runs in a single decade (by 2019)
- ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade (2010s)
- Highest career batting average in T20Is: 52.73
- Most T20I runs for India: 4,008 runs
- Played 300+ ODIs only the seventh Indian to achieve this milestone
Awards and Honours
| Award | Year |
| ICC ODI Player of the Year | Multiple times |
| ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) | 2017, 2018 |
| ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade | 2020 |
| Arjuna Award | 2013 |
| Padma Shri | 2017 |
| Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award) | 2018 |
| Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People | 2018 |
Net Worth and Income Sources
Virat Kohli’s net worth as an athlete (2026) ₹1,050–1,150 crore (~$130–140 million USD)
His income comes from various sources:
Cricket Salary: He has a very high annual contract as to his BCCI contracted Grade A+ player. IPL Salary with RCB: ₹21 crore per season (retained at IPL 2025 mega-function)
Brand Endorsements: Kohli earns around ₹200+ crore each year from endorsements and charges around ₹7.5–11 crore per brand (per major deal). An Instagram post could earn him 8.9 crore for each sponsored fill up.
Business Ventures: Kohli has a range of different business ventures:
- Wrong a youth-favourite fashion brand
- One8 / One8 Commune athleisure + restaurant chain (recently tied-up with Agilitas Sports in a strategic move)
- Chisel Fitness gym chain
- Blue Tribe Foods plant based food brand
- Rage Coffee A Specialty Coffee Startup
- Official FC Goa co-owner in the Indian football Super League
Brand Endorsements
The most marketable sports-person on the planet, Virat Kohli endorses 25–30 brands across sport and lifestyle and tech. Key partnerships include:
Rickshaw, Puma (The team has been a long-term strategic partner of the Indian Football Association), Godrej Integra, MRF Tyres, Audi India hurriedly have also aligned with the growth of sports in India across different sectors Manyavar; Himalaya; Vivo; Fire-Boltt among several others along with old timer American Tourister and Blue Star.
In the year 2025–26, Kohli moved from merely endorsing products to brand ownership and equity stake with partners like One8-Agilitas which was a symbol of his new epoch in the world of brands including him.
Social Media Presence
The world number-one cricketer Virat Kohli is one of the most-followed South Asians on social media.
- Instagram: @virat.kohli
- Twitter/X: @imVkohli
- Facebook: Virat Kohli
His social media presence is not a passive issue; it actively enhances his worth in business. His follower count has always been on an increase since he stepped back from Test cricket, and each sponsored post earns him millions.
Latest News (May 2026)
- ICC Test Retirement Anniversary: Kohli announced shock Test retirement on May 12, 2025 a year ago, and M. Social media has been inundated with tributes from fans and former teammates.
- IPL 2026: Kohli is currently with RCB in IPL 2026, as the franchise fights to back up its first title.
- WC 2027 Goal: Kohli has expressed his plans to play for India in the ODI World Cup scheduled a few years from now, which will be hosted by South Africa in 2027.
- Test Return Speculation: Hopes were reignited when Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma speculated conversations about a return to Test cricket in May 2026.
10 Interesting Facts About Virat Kohli
- He batted innings of Ranji Trophy a day after his father died at 18 scoring 90 runs and leaving for the funeral.
- He is deeply engaged in the world of animal rights activism and has stated that his spiritual travels affected his diet.
- The No. 18 has a special meaning to him it refers to the 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita, a scripture he treasures.
- His 2010s decade was so dominating, some say the best decade any batsman has ever had and with it he won ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade.
- He scored 973 IPL runs in a single season back in 2016 a mark that no one has come anywhere close to breaking.
- He is the only Indian cricketer in the history who has holds Number 1 ICC Test, ODI and T20I at the same time.
- After suffering from a serious neck problem, he adopted more of a plant-based diet in or around 2018, and credits that shift for the significant improvements in his recovery processes and energy levels.
- His marriage in Tuscany (Italy, 2017) was so discreet that also very near friend discovered it after no ivory tower for India’s best-known pairing.
- It was an unprecedented loyalty in a league driven by auctions and transfers 18 seasons, one team.
- Not only that, but he has set more batting speed records (fastest to x number of ODI runs: some milestone) than any other player who has ever played the game.
FAQs
Q1. What is Virat Kohli’s date of birth and age in 2026?
Virat Kohli was born on November 5, 1988. As of 2026, he is 37 years old.
Q2. Has Virat Kohli retired from cricket?
Kohli retired from T20 Internationals after the 2024 T20 World Cup and from Test cricket on May 12, 2025. He continues to play ODIs and the IPL, with aspirations to play in the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Q3. What is Virat Kohli’s net worth in 2026?
His estimated net worth is approximately ₹1,050–1,150 crore ($130–140 million USD), derived from BCCI contracts, IPL salary, brand endorsements, and business ventures.
Q4. How many ODI centuries has Virat Kohli scored?
As of 2026, Kohli has scored 50 ODI centuries the most in history, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49.
Q5. Who is Virat Kohli’s wife?
Virat Kohli is married to Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma. They wed in December 2017 and have two children daughter Vamika (born 2021) and son Akaay (born 2024).
Q6. What teams does Virat Kohli play for?
He plays for India in international cricket and for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL. He has been with RCB since the inaugural IPL season in 2008.
Q7. What is Virat Kohli’s Test cricket record?
Kohli played 123 Tests, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. He led India in 68 Tests, winning 40 the most by any Indian captain.
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