Cricket fans all over the globe are well aware of the innumerable records Virat Kohli has made and broken, the number of times he's carried the weight of an entire nation's expectations on his shoulders. Call him run-machine or chase master Kohli's concentration and involvement in every ball he faces on the 22 yards is a sight to behold.
His passion for the game and fitness has inspired many. From being a brash adolescent to being the captain of the Indian cricket team, he is Arguably one of the world's greatest batsmen in the modern era of cricketing. Apart from being a prolific cricketer and an able role model for millions, there are many facets to the talented man that remain unknown to many.
As the Indian cricket captain turns 32, let's take a look a Virat's Kohli's style quotient, fascinating facts that will make your jaw drop, his stunning beard looks on and off-field and more.
Fascinating facts: How it started, how it is going.
The story behind his nickname 'Cheeku.'
MS Dhoni lovingly calls Virat Kohli, Cheeku, but little did you know that much before the cricketer started to play for India, he attained this nickname.
When Kohli was playing in the Ranji Trophy for the Delhi side, he suddenly began to suffer from a phobia of his hair falling out! As a result, he rushed to a nearby salon and got his hair chopped short. With big ears and an almost shaved head, Kohli's look seemed rather bizarre to his teammates and the-then Assistant Coach of Delhi, Ajit Chowdhury, jokingly commented that he resembled the cartoon character called "Cheeku", who was a rabbit in the children's comic book called "Champak".
Since then, the name has stuck, and he's lovingly called "Cheeku" till date by the likes of MSD and Yuvraj Singh.
Virat loves cars
Kohli is known to have a soft corner for luxury cars and is known to own quite a few of the top-notch four-wheelers in the world.
The Indian skipper has a mind-boggling car collection, including a stylish Land Rover Range Rover Vogue which is said to be the most impressive car in his entire fleet. Apart from the Range Rover Vogue, he possesses 5 Audi cars, namely an Audi S5 coupe-styled sedan, an Audi R8 LMX version, a white Audi R8 V10, an Audi A8 L and an Audi Q7 45TDI. Last but not least, he owns a Renault Duster that he won as an award for being the 'Man of the Series' in an ODI Series in Sri Lanka as well as a lavish Toyota Fortuner 4X4 SUV.
Kohli's favourite cricketer
While Kohli has always acknowledged the cricketing maestro to be the ultimate source of inspiration and the reason why he took up the sport in the first place, there was a time when he named someone else as his favourite player ahead of Sachin Tendulkar!
Kohli, like all the other players, had shot an introduction video during the 2008 U-19 Cricket World Cup which was played every time he went out to bat.
Surprisingly, in this video where Kohli introduced himself by saying his name and his batting specifics, he concluded by naming South African batsman, Herschelle Gibbs as his favourite cricketer.
Kohli's favourite subject in school was History, and he detested maths.
Many know that Virat Kohli was unable to complete his education as he had to attend Cricket matches all over the country continuously. He chose to make Cricket the ultimate priority of his life at a very young age and as a result, was never able to attend college. Kohli attended the Saviour Convent School in Paschim Vihar during the latter years of his school life, where he was observed as a 'bright and alert' child by his teachers.
However, not many know that Kohli was mortally afraid of Mathematics. In an interview, he finally admitted that he'd failed miserably in mathematics once, scoring a single-digit. His favourite subject in school used to be History.
Fashion fast Forward
Virat has always kept himself perfect from head to toe. Coming to hairstyle, the player has inspired a huge mass with his hairdo.
Let's take a look at them!
Virat's flourishing cricketing career: Earth-shattering records:
Highlights!
The Indian captain was lauded by Australian greats like Steve Waugh, Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting in the documentary called 'The Test: A New Era For Australia's team' that endorsed the dramatic rise of the Aussies from the ruins of debilitating defeats and other lows.
At 32 years of age, Kohli has been reigning world cricket with unparalleled supremacy.
Successful test captain In the Indian cricket team
He's the most successful Test captain in Indian cricket history with 33 wins to his name.
Quickest ever records
Kohli is the quickest ever to have scored 8,000 runs (175 innings), 9,000 runs (194 innings), 10,000 runs (205 innings) and 11,000 runs (222 innings) in ODI history.
Three centuries in a row
He's the first batsman to have scored three straight centuries against two different opponents – against Sri Lanka and West Indies. He continues to be the only batsman to have scored over 300 runs in a bilateral series six times.
Most runs scored in an IPL season: 973
In 2016, he scored 973 runs during IPL – the most ever in a single edition of the T20 league's history.
IPL 2020: RCB to play against SRH
Getting ready to wear his India jersey again on the upcoming tour of Australia after a long break, Kohli is currently leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL 2020.
RCB, who qualified for the IPL playoffs in the fourth position, will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator on Friday.
Fitness icon
King Kohli will soon be papa Kohli.
The year 2021 will start on the best possible note for Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma as the couple are expecting their first child. The India cricket captain and his wife Anushka are expecting their first child in January 2021.
The cricketing superstar and the Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma tied the knot in December 2017 in Italy.
King Kohli is so much more than just an exceptional cricketer!
International Business Times, India wishes the Indian cricket captain a very happy birthday!
