No cricket fanatic in the world can claim to be unaware of the current India captain's name. Born and brought up in the Indian capital city of New Delhi, Kohli emerged on the international radar after leading India to the title win at the ICC U19 World Cup in 2008. However, Kohli didn't exactly announce himself at the highest level till 2012 - four years after his debut - when in Australia he hit his maiden Test century (116) in Adelaide. By the end of that tour Kohli had also shown the world just how good a batsman he could become when his 86-ball-133 helped India chase down a mammoth 330 in less than 40 overs against Sri Lanka in the triangular series. Since then he hasn't looked back and has grown from strength to strength by proving his prowess all over the world. Having hit centuries on tough away tours Kohli improved his shorter format game several notches especially with the help of the IPL, where in 2016 he smacked a record 973 runs! A established chaser of totals, he has hundreds in all Test playing nations - except Bangladesh and Zimbabwe - where he has played just a single match. He is also a World Cup winner(2011) and was adjuged the Player of the Tournament at the 2014 ICC World T20. Being counted amongst the four great batsmen of the modern age along with Steven Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root, Kohli's meteoric rise over the past couple of years has seen him rise above everyone else in the art of batting. He is the only batsman yet to average more than 48 in all formats of the game and after his exploits in England in the summer of 2018, he has proved that he is the best batsman across the globe under any given conditions. For his exploits on the field he has also been awarded the country's highest sports honour - Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2018. But with the accolades there also have been questions regarding team selection and his aggressive mindset resulting in failures to win tough series overseas. The fact remains though that just like his runs, there are many more Indian victories to come under his leadership and only time will tell how great a legacy Captain Kohli will leave behind. But regarding his batting skills, it's safe to assume that the debate has been settled for now. There is only one Kohli and he sits right at the top.
Read More
Not only is Kohli the first player to win these three major ICC awards together but he has also been named the captain of the ICC Test and ODI teams of the year.
India's recent overseas performance against South Africa and Australia in ODIs give them the upper hand against Black Caps under Virat Kohli's leadership.
Williamson felt that the passion with which Kohli approaches his cricket has made him a crowd puller around the world.
Kohli, in a very subtle yet strong manner, put across his point about Hardik's absence from the side.
Kohli has been on the receiving end of the Australian fans in the Test series Down Under recently, prompting even one of their own legends, Ricky Ponting, to express his disappointment.
The Indian team, which has shifted its focus entirely on World Cup preparations, is still searching for the right middle-order combination despite their first-ever bilateral ODI series win on Australian soil.
Kohli can take some tips from his former skipper and teammate Mahendra Singh Dhoni who is the only Indian captain to win an ODI series on New Zealand's soil.
Kohli finished 2018 as the No. 1 batsman in both Tests and ODIs, while India ended the year as the top-ranked Test team.
Katrina Kaif played cricket on the sets of her upcoming Salman Khan starrer film Bharat.
The 21-year-old Pant was picked by the ICC's voting academy for a stellar show in his breakthrough Test year in 2018.
Not only is Kohli the first player to win these three major ICC awards together but he has also been named the captain of the ICC Test and ODI teams of the year.
Indian opener Rohit Sharma and mystery-spinner Kuldeep Yadav join Kohli and Bumrah to form an India-dominated ODI team of the year.
The former skipper also advised the Pakistani players and management to get over the Champions Trophy victory in 2017.
Virat Kohli is currently the No.1 ODI batsman while Kane Williamson is currently 11th in the rankings for batsmen.
The tour starts Wednesday with the first ODI here. India will be playing five One-dayers and three T20 Internationals against the Black Caps.
India, with 116 points, stayed as the No 1 ranked Test team while skipper Virat Kohli (922 points) was 25 points clear of second ranked New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson (897).
Ross Taylor has scored 2580 runs from 51 innings at an average of 69.72 in ODIs since the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
India will play five ODIs and three T20Is against New Zealand from January 23 to February 10.
Chappell said Kohli would pass Tendulkar's aggregate with more than one hundred innings to spare and nearly 20 centuries in advance of the Little Master.
Kohli has already scored 10,385 runs in 219 ODIs with an astounding average of 59 plus, including 39 hundreds and an unabashed Kohli fan, Clarke said that the 30-year-old Indian's passion is unmatchable.
Top News
Trending News
