Virat Kohli: 10 highlights from his career so far

Virat Kohli is the undisputed King of Cricket. He towers over his contemporaries and is already regarded as one of the greats of the game, and is compared to Sachin Tendulkar, Viv Richards and Don Bradman. With age and fitness on his side, it won’t be a surprise if he retires as the greatest of all time. As the Indian captain turns 30, here's a look at 10 highlights from his career so far:

1. Captaining India to the Under-19 World Cup triumph

The first time the world got a glimpse of Virat Kohli was during the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia. Kohli led from the front, finishing as the tournament’s third highest run scorer as India clinched the title defeating South Africa in the final. His impressive batting and captaincy won hearts back home in India and ensured that the selectors had their eye on him.

2. First ODI century

Kohli’s impressive performance at the U-19 World Cup propelled him to the senior team. He made his debut against Sri Lanka at 19 but the early days weren’t easy, with Kohli struggling to score big. Sixteen months into his career, he was fighting to keep his place in the team as India took on the Lankans at the Eden Gardens. Kohli walked in to bat with India in trouble at 23 for 2 chasing a mammoth 316. Along with his Delhi teammate Gautam Gambhir (150*), he steadied the ship, stitching together a match-winning 224-run partnership and, in the process, scoring his maiden century. Though Gambhir was adjudged Man of the Match, he invited young Kohli on to the stage to share the award.

3. Unsung hero of the 2011 World Cup final

Most people don’t think of Kohli when they recall India’s historic win in the World Cup final. But Kohli played an integral role in the chase and even though he made just 35, the match may have ended differently if it weren’t for his innings. Chasing 275, India were 31 for 2 when Kohli came to the crease. The Lankans were on top and the pressure was on Kohli. He once again managed to build a partnership with Gambhir, fending off Malinga and Muttiah Muralitharan. When Kohli was dismissed by Dilshan, India had reached 114 and were back on track for a famous win.

4. Destroying one of the best bowlers in the world

Often regarded as the innings that established Kohli as the next big thing in cricket, the knock at Hobart against Sri Lanka in 2012 was nothing short of magical. India needed 320 to win and had to reach the target within 40 overs to earn a bonus point and remain in contention for the Commonwealth Bank Series. Though the openers gave India a good start, Kohli still faced an uphill task. He took the attack to the bowlers, stroking the ball all over the park. He brought up his century in the 35th over against Malinga, considered one of the best limited overs bowlers in the world. With the century out of the way, Kohli went on to demolish Malinga’s bowling, hitting 24 runs in the over which included a six and four consecutive boundaries. India won the match comfortably, with Kohli unbeaten on 133 off 86 balls.

5. World Cup century against Pakistan

There is no bigger rivalry in cricket than India versus Pakistan and there is no bigger stage than the World Cup. Combine the two and a cracker of a contest can be assured. Defending champions India faced Pakistan in the group stages of the 2015 World Cup. Having never lost a game against their arch-rivals in a World Cup and the 'Mauka Mauka' ad to live up to, India walked in to bat at a packed Adelaide Oval. Kohli scored a sublime 107 laced with eight boundaries and guided India to a respectable 300. Pakistan, in their reply, were bundled out for 224 and India kept the winning streak going.

6. Captain Kohli takes on the Aussies

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2014 was perhaps one of the defining moments in Kohli’s career. With Dhoni ruled out of the first Test with an injury, Kohli was given the responsibility to lead the team. In his debut Test as captain, Kohli led by example, scoring a masterful 115. Despite being hit on the helmet by a Mitchell Johnson delivery early on in his innings, Kohli remained unfazed. Set a target of 364, most teams would have played it safe and looked to draw the game. But not Kohli, as he took the attack to the Aussies, scoring a fighting 141 as India fell 48 runs short.

Kohli was rather subdued in the second Test, and Australia won by four wickets.

He reasserted his class in the third Test, hitting 169 against a hostile bowling attack. Despite being sledged throughout his innings, Kohli never backed down and took the fight to the Aussies as India managed a draw. Dhoni announced his shock retirement after this Test and Kohli was made captain for the final Test. He scored yet another century in the final Test and India salvaged another draw.

7. The chase master

In the 2016 T20 World Cup, India faced Australia in a must-win game, with the winner progressing to the semifinals. Set a target of 161, the Indian openers fell early but Kohli held the innings together scoring a calculated 82 off 51, to guide the team home. He once again proved why he is the master of the chase as he kept the required run-rate in check, took calculated risks and remained cool under pressure.

8. Dream IPL season

The ninth season of the IPL saw Kohli take his game to the next level. He amassed 973 runs in 16 matches, smashing Chris Gayle’s record for the most runs in a season by more than 200 runs. Kohli was in such good form that he seemed set for a big score every time he came out to bat. He notched up four centuries and also hit 38 sixes in the tournament as he led the Royal Challengers Bangalore to the final.

9. Redemption in England

Kohli had a disastrous tour of England in 2014, averaging just 13.50 with a top score of 39. He seemed all at sea against the swing produced in the English conditions and critics questioned his technique. As India returned to England four years later, there were lots of questions about how Kohli would cope with England’s seamers. Jimmy Anderson took it a step further as he claimed that Kohli would struggle in English conditions. Kohli, however, let his bat do the talking as he emerged the top scorer in the series with 593 runs which included two hundreds and three fifties. Kohli's dominance with the bat can be gauged by the fact that the second batsman on the list had not even crossed 350 runs. Though India were beaten 4-1, the matches were all close and Kohli asserted his ability to score runs anywhere in the world.

10. Quickest to 10,000 runs

During the recently concluded ODI series against the West Indies, Virat Kohli became the fastest to 10,000 runs, bettering Sachin Tendulkar’s record by 54 innings. Kohli’s entry to the 10,000-run club is just another example of his freakish ability. The other players in the 10,000-run club are all legends of the game and Kohli seems poised to overtake every single one of them.