Virat Kohli's career began when he made his debut in List A cricket, playing against Services in the Ranji One-Day Trophy, but he did not have the opportunity to bat during the match. On the international stage, he has been representing India since he was included in the ODl squad for the tour of Sri Lanka. Kohli was part of the team during India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup, the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, the 2024 ICC Men's T20 world Cup and 2025 ICC Champions Trophy alongside several Asia Cups. He had previously led his side to the 2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup title. In league cricket, Kohli has played for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru since the inception of the team in 2008 and was part of the team that won the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
International career
2008–2009: Debut and maiden stint In August 2008, Kohli was included in the ODl squad for the tour of Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Prior to the Sri Lankan tour, Kohli had limited experience, with only eight List A matches under his belt. So, his selection was considered a "surprise call-up". During the Sri Lankan tour, as both first-choice openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, were unable to play due to injury, Kohli was required to fill the role of makeshift opener throughout the series. On August 18, 2008, Kohli made his international debut at the age of 19 in the first ODI of the tour, where he was dismissed for 12 runs, caught dead in front by an incutter from Nuwan Kulasekara. However, in the fourth match of the series, Kohli scored his maiden half century in the ODl format, with a total of fifty-four runs scored.
Following the postponement of the Champions Trophy to 2009, Kohli was picked as a replacement for the injured Shikhar Dhawan in the India A squad for the unofficial Tests against Australia A in September 2008. Despite limited opportunities, he managed to make an impact in the single innings that he participated in, scoring 49 runs. In October 2008, Kohli participated in a four-day tour match against Australia as part of the Indian Board President's XI team. The match featured a formidable Australian bowling line-up that consisted of Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Jason Krejza. Despite this, Kohli displayed his batting prowess by scoring 105 runs in the first innings and an unbeaten 16 runs in the second innings, demonstrating his ability to perform against high-level international competition.
In November 2008, Kohli was selected for inclusion in the squad for the home ODI series against England. However, he was not given an opportunity to play in any of the matches. In December 2008, Kohli was awarded a Grade D contract by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as part of the annual contract list for the Indian national team which entitled him to receive . Despite being awarded a contract, in January, Kohli was dropped for the five-match ODl series against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.
In July–August 2009, Kohli was selected in the four-team Emerging Players Tournament, held in Australia. He was selected to open the innings for the Indian Emerging Players team in the tournament, and he went on to have a standout performance. Kohli finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer, with a total of 398 runs from seven matches, at an average of 66.33. He was particularly impressive in the final match, where he scored 104 runs off 102 balls against the South Africa Emerging Players team in Brisbane. His strong performance helped lead his team to a 17-run victory and the tournament title. At the conclusion of the tournament, Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of the Indian national selection committee, expressed his admiration for Kohli's performance during the tournament. Kohli later stated that this tournament was a "turning point" in his career.
In August 2009, Kohli returned to the national team after recovering from a minor shoulder injury, replacing the injured Gautam Gambhir in the Indian squad for the tri-series in Sri Lanka. He was also utilized as a middle order batsman in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy due to an injury sustained by Yuvraj Singh. In December of that year, he was included in the team for home ODI series against Sri Lanka and scored 27 and 54 in the first two ODIs before making way for Yuvraj, who regained fitness for the third ODI. However, due to the reoccurrence of a finger injury, Yuvraj was ruled out indefinitely, which led to Kohli's return to the team in the fourth ODI at Kolkata. In that match, Kohli scored his maiden ODI century–107 off 114 balls–while sharing a 224-run partnership for the third wicket with Gambhir. As a result of this performance, India won by seven wickets and sealed the series 3–1.
2010–2011: Rise through the ranks In January 2010, Kohli was given the opportunity in tri-nation ODI tournament in Bangladesh, as Tendulkar was rested for the event. During the series, Kohli became just the third Indian player to score two ODI centuries before the age of 22. He was widely hailed for his performances, and ultimately emerged as the leading run-scorer of the series, with 275 runs from five innings at an impressive average of 91.66. After the match, the Indian captain MS Dhoni stated about Kohli that "he has grabbed his chances" and that "he has matured now." Dhoni went on to say that "To us, he comes as a 'humble guy'. He might come across different to the world." Kohli's initial foray into leadership on an international level occurred in May–June 2010, when he was appointed as vice-captain for the tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe. This appointment came as many established players were rested for the tour. However, in the first match, Kohli was dismissed for a duck, without facing a single delivery, a rare and unusual mode of dismissal. Despite this early setback, Kohli managed to become the fastest Indian batsman at the time to reach 1,000 runs in ODI cricket, achieving this milestone in 24 innings. Kohli also made his International T20 debut against Zimbabwe at Harare, where he scored an unbeaten 26. Later that month, during the 2010 Asia Cup, Kohli was included in the Indian team and was given the role of batting at number 3. However, his struggles with form started as he scored a total of 67 runs at an average of 16.75. This poor form was also reflected in the tri-series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Sri Lanka where his average was a mere 15.
Despite his recent struggles with form, Kohli was retained in the Indian ODI squad for a three-match series against Australia in October. In the only completed match of the series, held at Visakhapatnam, Kohli scored a century, earning him the man of the match award. He candidly acknowledged that he was under significant pressure to maintain his place in the team, given his previous failures in the preceding series. During the home ODI series against New Zealand, Kohli scored another match-winning century in the first match, marking his fourth ODI hundred and second in succession. The Indian team emerged victorious with a 5–0 whitewash over New Zealand, and Kohli's exceptional performances in the series solidified his position in the ODI team and made him a strong candidate for a spot in India's World Cup squad. He was India's leading run-scorer in ODIs in 2010, accumulating 995 runs from 25 matches at an average of 47.38, including three centuries and seven half-centuries.
Kohli was India's leading run scorer in the five-match ODI series of the South African tour in January 2011, with 193 runs including two fifties, both in Indian defeats. During the series, he jumped to number two spot on the ICC Rankings for Men's ODI batters, and was named in India's 15-man squad for the World Cup.
Kohli played every match of India's successful World Cup campaign. He scored an unbeaten 100 in the first match against Bangladesh and became the first Indian batsman to score a century on World Cup debut. In the final against Sri Lanka at Mumbai, he scored 35, sharing an 83 runs partnership with Gambhir for the third wicket after India had lost both openers within seven overs while chasing 275.
Breakthrough in Test cricket When India toured the West Indies in June–July 2011, they selected a largely inexperienced squad, resting Tendulkar while others such as Gambhir and Sehwag missed out due to injuries. Kohli was one of three uncapped players in the Test squad. Kohli made his Test debut at Kingston in the first match of the Test series that followed. He batted at 5th position and was dismissed on scores of 4 and 15, caught behind off the bowling of Fidel Edwards in both innings. India went on to win the Test series 1–0 but Kohli amassed just 76 runs from five innings, struggling against the short ball.
He got dropped from the Test squad for India's four-match series in England in July and August due to poor performance in his debut series. However, Kohli was recalled as a replacement for the injured Yuvraj, though he did not get to play in any match of that series. He found moderate success in the subsequent ODI series in which he averaged 38.80. His score of 55 in the first ODI at Chester-le-Street was followed by a string of low scores in the next three matches. In the last game of the series at Cardiff, Kohli scored his sixth ODI hundred–107 runs off 93 balls–and shared 170 runs partnership with Rahul Dravid for the third wicket, who was playing his last ODI match. Kohli was dismissed hit wicket in that innings .It was the only century in the series by any player of either team and earned him praise for his "hard work" and "maturity".
In October 2011, Kohli was the leading run scorer of the five-match home ODI series against England which India won 5–0. He scored a total of 270 runs across five matches at an average of 90. This included unbeaten knock of 112 from 98 balls at Delhi, where he put on an unbroken 209 run partnership with Gambhir; followed by innings of 86 at Mumbai, both the knocks came in successful run chases. Owing to his ODI success, Kohli was included in the Test squad to face the West Indies in November. He was selected in the final match of the series at Mumbai in which he scored a pair of fifties. India won the subsequent ODI series 4–1 in which Kohli managed to accumulate 243 runs at 60.75. During the series, Kohli scored his eighth ODI century and his second at Visakhapatnam, where he made 117 off 123 balls in India's run chase of 270. A knock which raised his reputation as "an expert of the chase". Kohli ended up as the leading run-getter in ODIs for the year 2011, with 1381 runs from 34 matches at 47.62 including four centuries and eight fifties.
During tour of Australia in December 2011, Kohli failed to go past 25 in the first two Tests, as his defensive technique was exposed. While fielding on the boundary during the second day of the second match at Sydney, he gestured to the crowd with his middle finger for which he was fined 50% of his match fee by the match referee. He top scored in each of India's innings in the third Test at Perth with scores of 44 and 75, even as India got their second consecutive innings defeat. In the fourth and final match at Adelaide, Kohli scored his maiden Test century, 116 runs in the first innings. India suffered a 0–4 whitewash and Kohli, India's top run-scorer in the series was described as "the lone bright spot in an otherwise nightmare visit for the tourists".
2012–2013: ODI ascendancy and ascension to vice-captaincy