Virat Kohli is a known Indian cricketer and the current captain of the India National Cricket Team.
Early years
He was born as Virat Kohli on November 5, 1988 in Delhi, India. His family is from the Punjabi region and holds the same ethnicity. All his life he was proud of who he is, but many people think that it is only because he has a crtain status already.
His family was well-situated since his father Prem Kohli was a criminal lawyer. He earned enough money so that his wife Saroj Virat’s mother could stay at home, take care of the Kids and to be a housewife.
He has two siblings, both older than him: his sister Bhavna and his brother Vikash.
His family lived in West Dehli, in a residental area called Uttam Nagar. He began going to Vishal Bharti Public School.
Since Virat started being interested in cricket when he was 3 years old, at the age of nine he was already a great cricketer. His father Prem decided to enroll him to the West Delhi Cricket Academy.
Virat began training under the sharp eye of a struckt cricket coach called Rajkumar Sharma. Rajkumar is also known as a former player of the first class championship known as a former player of the first class Indian championship called „The Ranji Trophy“.
When he came to the 9th grade he relocated to Paschim Vihar’s Saviour Convent where he gained better opportunities in his cricket practice and experiences.
He excelled at sports but was also a very good student and had excellent grades. He was always considered to be very bright and interested in both sports and academics. In 2015, the whole Kholi family moved to Gurgaon, a city settled 30 kilometres away from New Delhi.
In 2006, his beloved father Prem died of a stroke. This made it even more difficult for his family who lived in a rented house and had money issues.
Career development
Kohli entered the Delhi Under-15 team in 2002 and he soon became the leading run-getter with his excellent team performance.
In 2003, he became the captain of the team so it wasn’t surprising that he was chosen to the Delhi Under-17 team.
In the Vijay Merchant Trophy (2004-2005) he was again the highest run-scorer in his team.
In 2006, he was picked for the India U-19 team and he went on the tour in England. India finished both of the series by winning. He was amongst their best players and the team coach Lalchand Rajput was impressed by his sports abilities. He toured Pakistan with the same team in the Autumn of the same year.
In 2006, when he came to the age of 18, he made his 1st class debut against the team „Tamil Nadu“ from the same Indian State.
His father died in December 2006 and he came to the center of attention because he still chose to play cricket against the Karnataka team. One day after his father’s death. After finishing the game he went to the funeral.
It was considered disrespectful but he emphasized that his father would aprove it because he lived for his son’s career.
In 2007 he was again the highest run-getter for his team in Twenty20 Championship. He toured Sri Lanka the same year, and he was the 2nd highest scorer.
In 2008 he was the captain of the Indian team in 2008 ICC Cricket Cup in Malaysia.
He became the man of the match by ESPN, in the match against New Zealand.
He was bought by Royal Challengery Bangalore a cricket team that plays in the Indian Premier League. He signed a youth contract worth $30, 000.
He gained the Border – Gawaskar scholarship in 2008.
He was rewarded with a 6-week training in Brisbone in Australia, at their Cricket Australia’s Centre. He was chosen for the ICC Champions Trophy Team in 2008.
He made his debut in the international team when he was 19 years old, on the Sri Lankan Tour in 2008. India defeated Sri Lanka in that series.
He was selected as a team member in Australian Cricket Tour in 2009. He was Indian leading run-getter because he had an outstanding play.
In 2010 he was given a chance to play in the match against Bangladesh where he secured the win for his Indian team.
Kohli was named vice-captain in the match against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in 2010. He was considered as one of the fastest cricketers ever in the Indian National Team.
In 2011, in the South African Tour, he was again the leading run-getter. In 2011 he was a part of the team which defeated England 5-0.
He was fined by the referee in the match against Australia because he showed the viewers his middle finger. He is known to easily lose his temper as it was often seen on cricket grounds, especially on tours.
He received the „ Man of the Match“ title in a victory over Sri Lanka in 2012.
He became the vice-captain at the Asia-Cup in 2012. It was held in Bangladesh.
He had great scores in the game aginst Australia in 2013. He was also a part of the team which defeated England in the summer of the same year. He was very succesful during next three years:
Virat became the fastest balsman in the world at South Africa’s tour in 2015.
During his career in the Royal Challengers Bangelore he became a captain of tghe Team in 2013. They finished at the 5th spot but Virat gave exeptional games.
Personal life
He was in a relationship with Izabelle Leite, a Brazilian model and actress. They have met during an ad shoot in Singapore and became inseperable after that.
She even moved to Mumbai so she could be with him. They hid their relationship for a long time until they were caught driving together. They ended their relationship after a few months.
He started dating Anushka Sharma the same year. She is a known Bollywood actress. After they started dating they gained a nickname „Virushka“ as a couple.
They attracted a lot of media attention but they decided to keep their relationship hidden from the media and press. They got married in 2017 in Italy.
Kohli is a very superstitious man, so he wore black gloves and wristbands for luck. He doesn’t know if it actually brings him any luck, but he continues to wear them.
He wears a „Kara“ on his arm since 2017. It is a traditional iron bracelet.
He is a big fan of football so he became a co-owner of FC Goa in 2014. He also bought a part of tennis club called „UAE Royals“.
He launched a fashion brand called „WROGN“ in 2014, in cooperation with Universal Sportsbiz. He became the brand ambassador of „Sport Convo“.
He started his own fitness business in 2015, with opening a chain fitness centres in India. He gained money from a lot of endorsement brands such as Puma, MRF, Nestle… The money he receives from endorsements is estimated at almost $100 million.
He got involved in charity by starting „Virat Kohli Foundation“ in 2013, which was focused on helping children in their education.
He likes adrenaline and adventures so one of his most favorite hobbies is rafting. He says that being on the edge is a very addictive feeling.
He loves to come to Europe on holidays. He visited Barcelona and Paris and was there for a few times. He feels like European countries are underrated.
His most favorite movie is “Rocky 4” (1985). He said that he could watch it a hundred times, all day, all night, and still wouldn’t get bored.
His nickname is Cheeku and it is one used by his fellow friends.
Quick summary
Full name: Virat Kohli
Date of birth: November 5, 1988
Birthplace: Delhi, India
Age: 30
Profession: cricketer, businessman
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 69 kgs
Net Worth: $16 million
