Having played his first international match - an ODI fixture - vs Sri Lanka at Dambulla on August 18, 2008, Virat Kohli has completed 15 years of an illustrious international career.
Over the years, Virat grew from a talented youngster to one of the mainstays of the Indian cricket team. The former India captain holds a plethora of records and is just 4 ODI centuries away from breaking Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record of 49 ODI tons - a record which at one time many thought would be virtually unbreakable.
15 years is a long time in an international career and needless to say the statistics of Virat's career are mind-boggling.
TimesofIndia.com here takes a look at some of the most interesting statistics of what has been a glittering career across all three formats:
TESTS
# The second batsman in Test annals to post two hundreds (115 & 141 - at Adelaide in December 2014) on captaincy debut - the first being Greg Chappell (Australia) - 123 & 109 not out vs West Indies at Gabba, Brisbane in 1975-76.
# The only captain to register two centuries in a Test match against Australia in Australia.
# The second Indian batsman (and the sixth overall) in Test Cricket to register a century in each innings of a Test match in Australia - the first being Vijay Hazare - 116 & 145 at Adelaide in January 1948. England's Herbert Sutcliffe, Wally Hammond, Denis Compton and West Indian, Rohan Kanhai are the other four batsmen to have achieved the distinction against Australia in Australia.
# Managed 256 runs in the Adelaide Test - the most by any batsman on captaincy debut, obliterating New Zealand's Graham Dowling's tally of 244 (239 & 5) against India at Christchurch in 1967-68.
# One of the two visiting batsmen to have recorded three hundreds at Adelaide, Kohli is averaging 98.50 (394 in four innings) - his sequence of scores being 116 & 22 in January 2012 and 115 & 141 in December 2014). England's Jack Hobbs had registered three hundreds in ten innings at this venue.
# Remains one of the two Indian captains to have managed a hundred in the fourth innings in Tests - 141 vs Australia in December 2014. Mohammad Azharuddin was the first - 106 vs Australia at Adelaide in January 1992.
# Has averaged 47.18 in the fourth innings in Tests while amassing 1038 runs in 27 innings, including two centuries and seven fifties - the second highest amongst the Indian batsmen with 1000 runs or more in the fourth innings behind 58.25 by Sunil Gavaskar, who managed 1398 runs, including four hundreds and eight fifties in 33 innings.
# Managed 1,000 runs or more in a calendar year thrice - 1215 at 75.93, including four hundreds and two fifties, in 12 Tests in 2016. This is a record for most runs by an Indian captain in a calendar year in Tests. Amassed 1059 runs (ave.75.64) in ten Tests in 2017. His tally includes five centuries and a fifty. Created history in 2018 when he aggregated 1322, including five hundreds and five fifties, in 13 Tests, to become the only captain to manage 1000 runs in three successive years.
# Ponting had amassed 1,000 runs in three calendar years in 2005, 2006 & 2008.
# He remains the only Indian captain to hit five centuries in a calendar year and that too twice - 2017 and 2018.
# Just two other Indian captains had managed 1,000 runs in a calendar year - 1095 (ave.60.83) in 12 Tests by Rahul Dravid in 2006 and 1000 (ave.62.50) in 12 Tests by Sachin Tendulkar in 1997.
# With his 200 at North Sound in July 2016, he had become the first Indian captain to register a double hundred in a Test match in the Caribbean. He remains the only Indian Captain to post a double hundred in overseas Tests.
# Kohli managed four double centuries in successive series - vs West Indies in West Indies in 2016; vs New Zealand in India in 2016-17; vs England in India in 2016-17 and vs Bangladesh in India in 2016-17 and had become the first batsman to accomplish the feat in Test annals.
# Became the first Indian captain to post a double century vs Sri Lanka in Tests - 213 at Nagpur in November 2017.
# With seven double hundreds as captain in Tests, he holds a world record in Tests.
# Had managed 1252 runs at an average of 65.89, including four hundreds, in 12 Tests in the 2016-17 home season, setting a record as captain, outstripping the 1058 (ave.96.18), including four hundreds, in six Tests by Graham Gooch in 1990.
# He remains the only Indian captain to win four Tests in South Africa, England and Australia in the same calendar year (2018) - by 63 runs at Johannesburg in January, by 203 runs at Nottingham in August, by 31 runs at Adelaide and by 137 runs at Melbourne - both in December.
# He remains the only captain to hit eleven International hundreds and that too twice in a calendar year - in 2017 (2818 runs at 68.73 in 52 innings) & 2018 (2735 runs at 68.37 in
47 innings).
# Enjoys success % of 58.82 - the best among the Indian captains with 10 or more Tests as captain - his tally being 40 wins, 17 losses and 11 drawn games out of 68.
Most international hundreds by captains in a calendar year:
Most Test centuries by Indian captains:
ODIs:
# Managed 1381 runs (ave.47.62) in 34 games in 2011, 1026 runs (ave.68.40) in 17 in 2012, 1268 (ave.52.83) in 34 in 2013, 1054 (ave.58.55) in 21 in 2014 and 1017 (ave.92.45) in 18 in 2017. He is the second Indian batsman after Sourav Ganguly (1997, 1998, 1999 & 2000) to accomplish the feat i.e. completing 1000 runs or more in four consecutive years.
# Under Kohli's captaincy, India have won 65 and lost 27 out of 95 ODIs (Tied 1 & NR 2) - winning % 68.42. He is the only Indian captain to enjoy success % of 68-plus in ODIs (minimum 30 ODIs).
# Amassed 5432 runs at an average of 89.04 in 91 innings with a strike rate of 97.62 - the highest average amongst the batsmen with 3000 runs or more in successful chases.
# Hit 22 hundreds in successful chases, he holds a world record - the next highest being Sachin Tendulkar (14).
# Reached 5000 runs in 114 innings, sharing a world record with Vivian Richards (West Indies) for reaching the milestone in least number of innings.
(Photo: BCCI video grab)
# Reached 9,000 runs in 194 innings; 10,000 runs in 205 innings & 11,000 runs in 222 innings & 12,000 runs in 242 innings - all world records for reaching the milestones.
# Hit a 52-ball hundred (100 not out) vs Australia at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on October 16, 2013 is the quickest by an Indian batsman in ODIs, outstripping Virender Sehwag's 60-ball against New Zealand at Hamilton on March 11, 2009.
# Kohli's above century is also the quickest by any batsman against Australia in ODIs, surpassing the 67-ball ton by Craig McMillan (117) for New Zealand at Hamilton on February 20, 2007
# Averaged 72.65 while aggregating 5449 in 95 matches (91 innings) as a Captain, including 21 hundreds and 27 fifties (SR 98.28). His average is the highest by any captain in ODIs (minimum 1000 runs).
# Amassed 558 runs (ave 186.00) vs South Africa in a five-match series in 2018 in South Africa - the highest by any batsman in a bilateral ODI series.
# Remains the only batsman to hit nine or more hundreds against two opponents - ten vs Sri Lanka and nine vs West Indies.
# Remains the only captain to post three hundreds in a bilateral series twice - against South Africa in South Africa in 2017-18 and against West Indies in India in 2018-19.
# Remains the only batsman in the World to hit four hundreds in successive innings against West Indies in ODIs - 111 not out at Kingston on July 6, 2017; 140 at Guwahati on October 21, 2018; 157 not out at Visakhapatnam on October 24, 2018 and 107 at Pune on October 27, 2018.
T20Is:
# Only batsman to have amassed 4,000 runs in this format - his aggregate being 4008 (ave.52.73), including a hundred and 37 fifties, in 115 matches.
# Remains the only batter to have averaged 50-plus (minimum 25 innings).
# Managed 319 runs (ave.106.33), including four fifties in six matches, in the World T20 2013-14 in Bangladesh - a record in any World T20I competition.
# His 38 innings of fifty-plus (a hundred and 37 fifties) is a record in Twenty20 Internationals.
# One of the two batters (the other being Martin Guptill) to have recorded three successive fifties thrice - 68 vs Sri Lanka at Pallekele on August 7, 2012; 70 vs New Zealand at Chennai on September 11, 2012 and 50 vs Afghanistan at Colombo (RPS) on September 19, 2012 and 72 not out vs South Africa at Dhaka on April 4, 2014; 77 vs Sri Lanka at Dhaka on April 6, 2014 and 66 vs England at Birmingham on September 7, 2014 and 90 not out at Adelaide on January 26, 2016, 59 not out at Melbourne on January 29, 2016 and 50 at Sydney on January 31, 2016 - all three vs Australia.
# Became the first batsman to register four successive fifties against an opponent - 90 not out at Adelaide on January 26; 59 not out at Melbourne on January 29, 50 at Sydney on January 31 & 82 not out at Mohali on March 27 - all vs Australia in 2016.
(AI image)
# By posting four consecutive fifties vs Sri Lanka (68 at Pallekele in 2012; 77 at Dhaka in 2014; 56 not out at Dhaka in 2016 and 82 at Colombo, RPS in 2017) he became the first batsman to accomplish the feat against two opponents.
# Only batsman to hit 600-plus against two opponents in T20Is - 794 (ave 52.93) in 21 innings vs Australia and 639 (ave 39.93) in 20 innings vs England.
# Holds a record for aggregating 1141 runs at an average of 81.50, including 14 fifties in 27 matches in Twenty20 World Cup.
Stats Courtesy: Rajesh Kumar
