Virat Kohli crossed 15,000 ODI runs on September 27, 2026, becoming only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to reach the mark. He did it in style, scoring an unbeaten 139 against West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram, his 55th ODI century.
For readers searching for a Virat Kholi biography, this is a career that has stretched from India’s 2008 Under-19 World Cup triumph to the 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy, while his IPL story with Royal Challengers Bengaluru has now entered another important chapter.
A useful place to follow more player profiles, match records and Indian cricket stories is cricketgeek, which covers a wide range of cricket topics for fans.
As of September 30, 2026, Kohli has retired from Test and T20I cricket but remains an active ODI batter for India. He has also said that the 2027 ODI World Cup will be his final World Cup appearance for India in the format.
Virat Kohli Biography: Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Virat Kohli |
| Date of Birth | 5 November 1988 |
| Age | 37 years |
| Birthplace | New Delhi, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Role | Batter |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm medium |
| International Debut | ODI vs Sri Lanka, 18 August 2008 |
| Test Debut | vs West Indies, 20 June 2011 |
| T20I Debut | vs Zimbabwe, 12 June 2010 |
| IPL Team | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| IPL Debut | 2008 |
| Wife | Anushka Sharma |
| Children | Vamika and Akaay |
| Test Retirement | May 2025 |
| T20I Retirement | June 2024 |
| Current International Format | ODI |
Kohli was born in Delhi on November 5, 1988. He is a right-handed batter and has worn jersey number 18 throughout much of his senior career.
Early Life and Rise in Cricket
Kohli grew up in Delhi and began taking cricket seriously while he was still a child. He joined the West Delhi Cricket Academy at the age of nine, where his early development was guided by coach Rajkumar Sharma. Kohli himself has spoken about the importance of that coaching relationship during his formative years.
Kohli’s career is also closely tied to Bengaluru and the Royal Challengers. In 2026, RCB retained the IPL title, and Kohli finished the season with 675 runs before making the winning six in the final against Gujarat Titans. Fans interested in the franchise’s rivalry can also check the SRH vs RCB head-to-head record for a detailed matchup history.
His rise through junior cricket accelerated quickly. Kohli captained India’s Under-19 side at the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia, where India won the title. He scored a century against West Indies during the tournament and played an important role in India’s championship campaign.
The Under-19 success gave Kohli a major platform. Within months, he moved into India’s senior ODI setup. His first international appearance came against Sri Lanka in August 2008, starting a career that would eventually include captaincy across all three formats.
Virat Kohli International Debut
Virat Kohli made his ODI debut for India against Sri Lanka on 18 August 2008 in Dambulla. He opened the innings in his first match but was dismissed for 12. The beginning was quiet, yet he gradually became a permanent member of India’s batting order.
His Test debut arrived nearly three years later, against West Indies in Kingston in June 2011. His T20I debut came in 2010 against Zimbabwe. Over time, ODI cricket became the format in which he built his most extensive record.
Kohli’s International Debut Dates
| Format | Debut Date | Opponent | Venue |
| ODI | 18 August 2008 | Sri Lanka | Dambulla |
| T20I | 12 June 2010 | Zimbabwe | Harare |
| Test | 20 June 2011 | West Indies | Kingston |
Virat Kohli Career Stats
The latest figures are important because Kohli remains active in ODIs. The table below reflects his international career through September 30, 2026, after India’s second ODI against West Indies.
| Format | Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s |
| Tests | 123 | 210 | 9,230 | 254 | 46.85 | 55.57 | 30 | 31 |
| ODIs | 316 | 304 | 15,109 | 183 | 59.02 | 94.38 | 55 | 79 |
| T20Is | 125 | 117 | 4,188 | 122 | 48.70 | 137.05 | 1 | 38 |
His ODI record is particularly remarkable. Before the West Indies series, he had 14,941 runs. His 139 not out in the first ODI took him to 15,080, and his 29 in the second match moved the tally to 15,109.
That first West Indies match also produced his 55th ODI hundred, extending his record for most centuries in men’s ODI cricket.
Virat Kohli’s 2026 ODI Form
Kohli has remained part of India’s ODI plans after ending his Test and T20I careers.
Through the first two ODIs against West Indies in September 2026, his 2026 ODI tally stood at 552 runs in eight matches, with centuries against New Zealand and West Indies. His scores during the year also included 93 and 124 against New Zealand, followed by 65 and 74 against England.
The unbeaten 139 against West Indies was the standout innings of the year. He reached 15,000 ODI runs during the chase and struck his 55th ODI century in the same innings. Two days later, he made 29 in the second ODI as India successfully chased 405 against West Indies.
The third ODI of that series is scheduled for October 3, 2026, so these figures are a snapshot before that match.
Virat Kohli IPL Career and Team
Virat Kohli has played his entire IPL career for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, originally known as Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was with the franchise from the inaugural 2008 season and never represented another IPL team.
By the end of IPL 2026, Kohli had played 282 matches and scored 9,336 runs, including 68 fifties and nine centuries. His career strike rate was 134.80 and his highest score was 113.
| IPL Statistic | Virat Kohli |
| Matches | 282 |
| Innings | 275 |
| Runs | 9,336 |
| Highest Score | 113 |
| Average | 40.42 |
| Strike Rate | 134.80 |
| 100s | 9 |
| 50s | 68 |
| 4s | 844 |
| 6s | 316 |
IPL 2026 Performance
The 2026 season brought another major milestone. Kohli scored 675 runs in 16 matches, including five fifties and one century, while RCB won the tournament for the second consecutive season. In the final against Gujarat Titans, he made 75 not out from 42 balls and hit the winning six.
That victory was also significant because Kohli had spent the entire IPL era with RCB and had previously experienced defeats in the 2009, 2011 and 2016 finals.
Virat Kohli’s Most Important IPL Records
Kohli’s IPL career contains several milestones that are difficult to separate from the tournament’s own history.
He scored 973 runs in IPL 2016, including four centuries. That remains the highest individual aggregate by a batter in a single IPL season.
In March 2019, he became the first player to reach 5,000 IPL runs. His long-term consistency then took him well beyond 9,000 runs, with his 9,336 career runs standing as the IPL record after the 2026 season.
His nine IPL centuries are also part of the competition’s historical record, while his career has included some of the biggest individual batting seasons the league has seen.
Virat Kohli Captaincy Career
Kohli took over as India’s Test captain in 2014 after MS Dhoni stepped down from the role. He later became India’s captain in ODIs and T20Is, making him the team’s leader across all three formats.
His Test captaincy produced 40 wins in 68 Tests, according to the ICC. Under his leadership, India secured its first Test series win in Australia during the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Kohli stepped down as India’s Test captain in January 2022 and subsequently left the white-ball captaincy as well. His international captaincy era covered a major transformation in Indian cricket, particularly in Test cricket.
World Cups and Major Career Achievements
Kohli was part of India’s 2011 ODI World Cup-winning squad, scoring 35 in the final against Sri Lanka. He was also part of India’s 2013 Champions Trophy-winning team.
The 2023 ODI World Cup was another defining tournament. Kohli scored 765 runs, the highest aggregate by a batter in a single edition of the men’s ODI World Cup at the time, and made his 50th ODI century in the semi-final against New Zealand.
In the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa, he scored 76 from 59 balls and received the Player of the Match award as India won the tournament. It was the final T20I of his international career.
India then won the 2025 Champions Trophy, with Kohli making 218 runs in five innings and producing an important performance against Australia in the semi-final.
Virat Kohli Awards and Records
Some of Kohli’s major documented achievements include:
| Achievement | Detail |
| ODI centuries | 55 as of Sept. 30, 2026 |
| ODI runs | 15,109 as of Sept. 30, 2026 |
| 15,000 ODI runs | Reached in 303rd ODI innings |
| ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade | 2020 |
| ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade | 2020 |
| ICC Cricketer of the Year | 2017 |
| ICC Cricketer of the Year | 2018 |
| 2011 World Cup | Winner |
| 2013 Champions Trophy | Winner |
| 2024 T20 World Cup | Winner |
| 2025 Champions Trophy | Winner |
| IPL 2016 runs | 973 |
| IPL career runs | 9,336 after 2026 season |
The ICC named Kohli the Sir Garfield Sobers Award winner for Male Cricketer of the Decade and the Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade in 2020. He had also won the ICC Cricketer of the Year award in 2017 and 2018.
Virat Kohli’s Wife and Family
Virat Kohli married Indian actress Anushka Sharma on December 11, 2017, in Italy. The couple have two children: daughter Vamika, born in January 2021, and son Akaay, born in February 2024.
Kohli and Sharma have generally kept their children’s lives away from intense media attention. Their second child, Akaay, was publicly announced by the couple in February 2024.
Virat Kohli Net Worth
There is no official public statement that establishes an exact current net-worth figure for Kohli. Media and sports-finance websites therefore publish estimates rather than audited totals.
Recent 2026 estimates have placed his wealth in roughly the ₹1,100–1,200 crore range, depending on how business investments, endorsements and other assets are valued. These should be treated as estimates rather than confirmed figures.
His income has come from several sources over the course of his career:
- BCCI cricket earnings during his international career
- IPL contracts with RCB
- Brand endorsements
- Business investments
- Fashion and lifestyle ventures
- Restaurant and hospitality interests
Kohli has built a commercial portfolio outside cricket, but separating company valuations, brand value and personal wealth is important when discussing his finances.
Virat Kohli’s Test Retirement
Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 12, 2025. He finished his Test career with 9,230 runs in 123 matches, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties.
He had already retired from T20I cricket following the 2024 T20 World Cup final. That meant that by 2025 he had moved away from two international formats, leaving ODI cricket as his only active international format.
His Test career lasted nearly 14 years and included seven double-centuries, 30 hundreds and a long period as India’s Test captain.
Virat Kohli and the 2027 ODI World Cup
Kohli remains involved in India’s ODI setup in 2026. In September, he confirmed that he intends to play in the 2027 Cricket World Cup, which he has described as his final appearance in the tournament for India.
That statement gives his current ODI career a clear reference point. The 2027 World Cup will be hosted across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, and Kohli is expected to enter it with more than 15,000 ODI runs already behind him.
His latest milestone has also moved him closer to the top of the ICC ODI batting rankings. After his 139 against West Indies, Kohli moved to second in the rankings on September 30, 2026, with a rating of 796.
Why Virat Kohli Remains Important to Indian Cricket
Kohli’s statistical record tells only part of the story. He has played through several generations of Indian cricket, from the final years of Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni to the current side led by Shubman Gill.
His ability to score heavily in ODI chases became one of the defining features of his batting. The 2026 West Indies innings was another example: India needed 296, and Kohli finished unbeaten on 139 from 88 deliveries.
His career also covers a rare combination of youth-level success, international trophies, long-term captaincy, record-breaking ODI batting and an IPL career spent entirely with one franchise.
FAQs
When did Virat Kohli make his international debut?
Virat Kohli made his ODI debut for India against Sri Lanka on 18 August 2008 in Dambulla. He later made his T20I debut in 2010 and Test debut in 2011.
How many ODI runs does Virat Kohli have?
As of September 30, 2026, Kohli has scored 15,109 runs in 316 ODIs. He crossed 15,000 runs during his unbeaten 139 against West Indies on September 27, 2026.
How many ODI centuries does Virat Kohli have?
Kohli has 55 ODI centuries as of September 30, 2026. His 55th came against West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram.
Which IPL team does Virat Kohli play for?
Kohli plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and has represented the franchise throughout his IPL career. He helped RCB win the IPL in 2025 and 2026.
When did Virat Kohli retire from Test cricket?
Kohli retired from Test cricket on May 12, 2025, finishing with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests.
Who is Virat Kohli wife?
Virat Kohli’s wife is Anushka Sharma. They married on December 11, 2017, and have two children, Vamika and Akaay.
Final Thoughts
The story of Virat Kohli has already covered almost two decades of Indian cricket, but his ODI career is still active. From captaining India to the 2008 Under-19 World Cup title to becoming the fastest batter to 15,000 ODI runs, his career has been shaped by a long list of measurable milestones.
The latest chapter came in September 2026, when Kohli’s 55th ODI hundred pushed him past 15,000 runs. At the same time, his RCB career reached another landmark with back-to-back IPL titles in 2025 and 2026.
For anyone researching a Virat Kholi biography, the key point is that his career is not finished yet. Tests and T20Is are behind him, but ODI cricket and the road toward the 2027 World Cup remain ahead.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute professional sports, financial, or career advice. Cricket statistics, records, and personal details are based on publicly available information as of September 30, 2026, and may change. Readers should verify current figures with official cricket boards and reliable sources. The author and publisher disclaim all liability for inaccuracies, financial decisions, or outcomes arising from reliance on this content. Always refer to official sources for the most up-to-date information.
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