10 interesting facts about Virat Kohli on his 35th birthday

On this day in 1988, Virat Kohli was born. One of the greatest cricketers of all time and the greatest cricketer of current times, the Indian cricketer is now the face of the sport at the global level. The star cricketer has several records to his name as a batter. Even as a captain, Virat has several feats to his name. As a cricketer, Virat is at the elite level.

On his birthday, here are some of the interesting facts about Virat –

• Virat has the second most number of hundreds in the history of ODIs. Currently, Virat has 48 hundreds in ODIs, which is just one less than the holder of the record, Sachin Tendulkar.
• Virat is also the fastest batter to reach the milestone of more than 20 hundreds in ODIs. Virat is the fastest batter to score every hundred, from the 21st to 48th, in the history of ODIs, in terms of the number of innings.
• Virat was the captain of the under-19 team of India in 2008 that won the trophy. His name in the Indian team is ‘Cheeku’.
• In the 2011 ODI World Cup, Virat scored a hundred against Bangladesh on his debut. In the process, Virat became the first Indian batter to score a hundred on World Cup debut.
• Virat’s maiden international hundred came in 2009 against Sri Lanka. Chasing 316 in Kolkata, Virat’s hundred helped India to win the match and eventually the series.
• Virat started his professional career with Delhi. While playing a match against Karnataka in 2006, Virat lost his father. Despite knowing the news, Virat played in the following day and scored 90 runs.
• Virat has the highest individual score against Pakistan in ODIs while chasing a target. Virat scored 183 runs in 148 balls against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2012.
• Virat holds the record for the fastest ODI hundred by an Indian, who got there in just 52 balls against Australia in 2013.
• Virat became the captain of the Indian team in an accident way. As MS Dhoni was ruled out of a match against West Indies, Virat led India.
• Virat established a charity named Virat Kohli Foundation, where funds for underprivileged children are collected by holding events.
• A UK-based magazine ‘Sportspro’ named Virat the second most marketable athlete in the world behind Lewis Hamilton.
• Virat was the cricketer of the year in 2012.