Virat Kohli's 38th Birthday, 38 Stats: The King, Records and Legacy Like No Other

Virat Kohli (Image credit: TimesofIndia.com) Virat Kohli turns 38 today. Over the years, India’s batting star has given cricket fans countless reasons to celebrate. His big centuries, match-winning knocks, aggressive style, animated celebrations and record-breaking performances made him one of the most popular cricketers in the world.Kohli first came into limelight when he led India to the Under-19 World Cup title in 2008. Soon after, he made his international debut and began a journey that saw him break one record after another. He has established himself as one of the best batsmen across all formats.From Tests and ODIs to T20 cricket, Kohli has scored runs and won matches for India.Turning 38, Kohli will be looking to add more runs, records and trophies to his already impressive career. One of his biggest goals will be the ODI World Cup 2027. Having been part of the Indian team that won the World Cup in 2011, he will be hoping to win the trophy again.As the batting superstar celebrates his 38th birthday, here are 38 numbers and records that tell the story of his remarkable cricketing journey.

Virat Kohli ODI records

Most ODI centuries in men’s cricket: Virat Kohli has scored 55 ODI centuries, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49. He is the first batsman to score 50 centuries in the format. He reached the milestone of 117 against New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Fastest to 10,000 ODI runs: Kohli reached 10,000 ODI runs in just 205 innings. He reached the milestone 54 innings faster than Tendulkar.
Most runs in successful ODIs: Kohli has scored 6,477 runs in successful ODIs. He is ahead of Tendulkar in this category.
Most ODI centuries in successful run chases: Kohli has scored 25 centuries while chasing targets in ODIs. No batsman got more runs.
Most runs in a single ODI edition of the Men’s World Cup: Kohli scored 765 runs in 11 innings in the 2023 World Cup. He surpassed Tendulkar’s record of 673 runs in the 2003 edition.
Highest run scorer in ODIs: Kohli has scored 8,741 runs in 180 matches and 169 innings chasing targets. On 4 November 2026, he surpassed Tendulkar’s tally of 8,720 runs against New Zealand.
Most ODI centuries in the chase: Kohli has scored 30 centuries in the chase in ODIs. He is the only batsman to achieve this mark.
First batsman to score 13,000 ODI runs while batting at No. 3: Kohli became the first batsman to cross 13,000 ODI runs at No. 3. This record shows his consistency in batting at one of India’s most important positions.

Virat Kohli T20 World Cup and T20I records

Most runs in men’s T20 World Cup history: Kohli scored 1,292 runs in five editions of the T20 World Cup between 2012 and 2024. He finished as the tournament’s top run-scorer.
Most runs in a single edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup: Kohli scored 319 runs in the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. This remains the highest batting total in a single edition.
First player to win back-to-back T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament awards: Kohli won the Player of the Tournament award at the 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cups. He was the first player to win the honor in two consecutive editions.
Highest career batting average among leading run-scorers in T20 World Cup history: Kohli averages 58.72 in five editions of the T20 World Cup. That is the highest average among the tournament’s top scorers.
Most Man of the Match awards in Men’s T20Is on retirement: Kohli had won 16 Man of the Match awards in T20Is when he retired from the format. His tally included honors in the 2024 T20 World Cup final in India.
Most Player-of-the-Series awards in Men’s T20Is: Kohli has won seven Player-of-the-Series awards in T20Is. He held the record when he retired from the format.
Most runs by an Indian captain in a T20I in a bilateral series: Kohli scored 558 runs during India’s 2016 T20I series against Australia. This is the highest tally by an Indian captain in a bilateral T20I series.

Virat Kohli Test Records

Highest ICC Test Batting Rating Score by an Indian: Kohli scored 937 points in ICC Test Rating in 2018. This is the highest rating achieved by an Indian batsman.
Most double centuries by a Test captain: Kohli scored seven double centuries as a Test captain. No other captain has scored more.
Most Test double centuries by an Indian batter: Kohli has scored seven double centuries in Test cricket. He shares the Indian record with Virender Sehwag.
Most Test matches as India captain: Kohli has captained India in 68 Tests. No other Indian captain has led a team in more matches.
Most Test wins as India captain: India won 40 out of 68 Tests under Kohli. He remains India’s most successful Test captain in terms of wins.
Most Test runs as India captain: Kohli has scored 5,864 Test runs as captain. This is the highest tally by an Indian captain.
Most Test Centuries as India Captain: Kohli scored 20 Test centuries as captain. No other Indian captain has scored more.
Highest individual Test score by an Indian captain: Kohli scored an unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune in October 2019. It remains the highest individual Test score by an Indian captain.
First Indian captain to score two centuries on debut as captain: Kohli scored 115 and 141 against Australia in Adelaide in December 2014. He became the first Indian captain to score a century in each innings of his first match as captain.
First Indian to score four centuries in a single overseas Test series: Kohli achieved this feat during India’s tour of Australia in 2014-15. He scored four centuries in the series.
First batsman to score double hundreds in four consecutive Test series: Kohli scored double centuries in four consecutive Test series against West Indies, New Zealand, England and Bangladesh between 2016 and 2017. He surpassed Donald Bradman and Rahul Dravid to reach double figures in three consecutive series.
Highest Test runs by an Indian in a single domestic season: Kohli scored 1,059 runs during India’s 2016–17 domestic season at an average of 75.64. No Indian batsman has scored more runs in a single domestic season.

Virat Kohli IPL records

Most runs in IPL history: Kohli has scored 8,779 runs in the IPL as of 3 November 2026, according to the IPL All-Time Records Archive. He is the top scorer in the competition.
Most Centuries in IPL History: Kohli has scored nine centuries in IPL. He is ahead of Jos Buttler who has seven.
Most half-centuries in IPL history: Kohli has scored 64 half-centuries in IPL. This is the highest total in the competition.
Highest individual runs in a single IPL season: Kohli scored 973 runs for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2016 season. Shubman Gill’s 890 runs in 2023 is the second highest.
Most centuries in an IPL season: Kohli scored four centuries in the 2016 IPL season. He shares the record with Jos Buttler, who also scored four centuries in 2022.
First player to score 8000 IPL runs: Kohli became the first batsman to score 8000 runs in IPL. He has since increased his lead at the top of the all-time list.
First batsman to score more than 600 runs in four consecutive IPL seasons: Kohli achieved this feat between 2023 and 2026. No other batsman has scored more than 600 runs in four consecutive IPL seasons.

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Virat Kohli is closing in on Sachin Tendulkar

Second highest run-scorer in international cricket history: Kohli has scored more than 28,000 international runs across Tests, ODIs and T20Is. He is behind only Tendulkar who finished his career with 34,357 runs.
Second highest century maker in international cricket: Kohli has scored 86 international centuries. Only Tendulkar is ahead of him with 100 centuries.
Second highest runs in ODI history: Kohli has scored more than 15,000 runs in ODIs. He is behind Tendulkar who holds the record with 18,426 runs.