Introduction
Virat Kohli is a household name in India. The former captain of the Indian national cricket team, Virat Kohli is often considered as one of the best batsmen of his time. Born in Delhi, his father was a criminal lawyer and his mother, a homemaker. He has an older brother Vikash and an older sister called Bhavna. He is said to have been good in academics, his teachers describe him as a bright, alert child. He lost his father at an early age and that loss had a significant impact on the way he approached his game.
“The way I approached the game changed that day. I just had one thing in my mind – that I must play for my country and live that dream for my dad.” – Virat Kohli
Click here to read another inspiring story. All about Pele's journey here.
His journey
He has captained the Indian cricket team in more than two hundred matches across three formats between 2013 and 2022. It was in 2013, he began to get attention when he reached the number one spot in the ICC rankings among ODI batsmen.
Virat Kohli’s games are among the most popular as he brought fame and attention to the Indian team. Consequently, he is ranked as one of the world's most famous athletes by ESPN. Forbes ranked him as one of the most valuable athlete brands. He is currently one of the highest paid athletes in the world with over $26 million in earnings. He is even named as one of the one hundred most influential people in the world today.
"The more centuries that I am able to score, the happier I will be." – Virat Kohli
Here is a story about another person like Virat Kohli, who never gave up. Click here to read about A R Rahman's journey.
He started young
He displayed his love for the game when he was just 3 years old. His family members state that he was often found swinging a bat at home. At the age of 9, Virat Kohli was part of the first intake at the West Delhi Cricket Academy. He trained hard at the academy under Rajkumar Sharma. As a teenager, he was part of several matches in the ODI series and Test series. He came to the spotlight when he played against Karnataka on the day after his father’s death. After he got dismissed, he went directly to the funeral.
His mother said
“Virat changed a bit after that day. Overnight he became a much more matured person. He took every match seriously. He hated being on the bench. It is as if his life hinged totally on cricket after that day. Now, he looked like he was chasing his father’s dream which was his own too.”
He raised the benchmark
In the triangular series in West Indies, Kohli could be relied upon to stand-in as captain for the first ODI after Dhoni injured himself during the match. Dhoni was ruled out of the series eventually and Kohli was named captain for the rest of the series. This way Kohli has proved repeatedly that he is a dependable player and a good leader. His confidence enabled him to lead the team to success for several matches. Over time, his consistency and hard work have proved invaluable to the team and the country. Over the years, he raised the benchmark with his performance on the field, setting new records each time.
“He is a very physical type of player. He likes to impose himself on the game, and backs it up with his skill.” – Dav Whatmore
In the early years of his career, Virat had a few major landmark developments. One of them was being bought by the IPL franchise for $30,000 on a youth contract. In 2008, he along with some of his teammates were awarded the Border-Gavaskar scholarship. This gave him the opportunity to train in Brisbane at Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence. He was then selected for the ICC Champions Trophy in a 30-man squad in the same year. He was also selected as part of the Emerging Players squad in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia.
His consistency placed him in leadership roles repeatedly, leading India to victory in various tournaments. His passion for the game, his expertise on the field has made him one of the most valuable players of all time. Notably, Kohli has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Arjuna award in 2013, the Padma Shri in 2018 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2018. As of today, he is one of India’s most valuable celebs with a brand value of Rs. 1,400. approx.
"Self-belief and hard work will always earn you success." – Virat Kohli
Conclusion
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