Exactly 13 years ago on August 18, 2008, Virat Kohli made his India debut against Sri Lanka in Dambulla. Kohli opened the innings in his debut match, but couldn’t make his mark in the very first match. He scored 12 runs off 22 balls and got out LBW to Nuvan Kulasekara. Kohli scored his maiden fifty in the fourth ODI at Colombo.
Virat Kohli is currently regarded as one of the best batsmen across formats. He has scored 7,609 runs in 94 Tests at an average of 51.41 including 27 centuries. In 254 ODIs, he has 12,169 runs at an average of 59.07 and a strike rate of 93.17. And in 90 T20Is, Kohli has scored 3,159 runs at an average of 52.65. He has broken many international records in his international career. And there are a few of Kohli’s records that might never be broken. Although, cricket is a funny game and records are meant to be broken but some records are also meant to be immortal. So, let’s look at the 5 unbreakable records of Virat Kohli.
Most ODI centuries while chasing
To date, Virat Kohli has 43 centuries to his name in 254 ODIs. While 26 of them came in run chases, which is the highest in world cricket. The next on the list among active cricketers is Rohit Sharma, who has scored 14 centuries during run-chase. So, it looks very much impossible to get past Virat’s record.
Most Test double centuries as captain
Kohli has scored seven double centuries in the longest format, while all have come being a captain. He tops the list in terms of most centuries scored as a captain. As a player, only Don Bradman (12), Kumar Sangakkara (11), and Brain Lara (9) have more double tons than Virat Kohli. Kohli is also the first Indian to hit 7 double hundreds. Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, who had 6 double hundreds to their names. Currently, there is no one among active captains who is even close to him.
Fastest to 10,000 ODI runs
On 24th October 2018, Virat Kohli became the fastest batsman to score 10000 ODI runs. Kohli took just 205 innings to reach the landmark, bettering Sachin Tendulkar’s 259 innings. He took just 10 years and 68 days to score 10000 ODI runs, the fastest by a batsman. He broke Rahul Dravid’s record of 10 years, 317 days.
Most runs in an IPL season
In the 2016 IPL season, Virat Kohli was in a league of his own. Although, he couldn’t win the tournament but broke many records with the bat. Kohli smashed 973 runs in 16 matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). This also includes 4 centuries and 7 half-centuries. To date, there is hardly anyone who has come even close.
Four centuries in single IPL season
IPL 2016 was the season of Virat Kohli. The world may never see a batsman score as many as 4 IPL hundreds in a single season. He scored his first century against Gujarat Lions in just 63 balls, followed by 108* (58) vs Rising Pune Supergiants. The third one also came against Gujarat Lions where he smashed 109 off just 55 balls. The fourth and last one and perhaps his best century in the IPL, where he played with stitches in his hand. Kohli scored an unbelievable knock of 113 off just 50 balls. vs Kings XI Punjab.
