Virat Kohli turns 31: Unknown facts about Indian skipper

Without doubt Kohli is one of the best batsmen in the international circuit and there is no denying the fact that in recent times he has led Team India to greater heights.

Hyderabad: Indian Skipper Virat Kohli celebrated his 31st birthday on Tuesday (November 5). Kohli is considered as one of the best batsmen in the international circuit at the moment and there is no denying the fact that in recent times Kohli has led Team India to new heights.

File image of Virat Kohli

It is a no-brainer that Kohli is one of the most followed athletes in the world and the most followed in India but there are some interesting facts about the cricketer which are not well known to people. Take a look at them.

Off the field facts:

• Kohli is the youngest of three children to late Prem Kohli and Saroj Kohli, a housewife. He has an elder brother Vikash and an elder sister Bhavna.
• Kohli was a student of Vishal Bharti Public School and his favourite subject in school was History.
• Kohli loves high-energy Punjabi songs. However, he also enjoys some soothing Sufi music.
• Virat's favourite cuisine is Japanese.
• Kohli, who was once fond of mutton biryani, turned vegan in 2018. He even gave up on eggs and dairy products. Kohli's healthy diet now includes protein shakes, vegetables and soya.
• Kohli's favourite holiday destination is Europe. Specifically, he loves Paris and Barcelona.
• Apart from cricket, Kohli owns a clothing brand and is the face of several other leading brands.
• Kohli flaunts a golden dragon tattoo on his forearm, which is apparently believed to bring good luck.

On the field facts:

• At the age of eight, Kohli joined the West Delhi Cricket Academy under the coach Rajkumar Sharma.
• Kohli made his first-class debut against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy tournament in November 2006, and scored 10 runs in the lone innings.
• Virat was in the midst of his fourth first-class match of his career, when his father died on December 18, 2006. He attended the funeral after hitting 90 runs against Karnataka.
• Kohli was the captain of victorious Indian Under-19 Cricket World Cup team of 2008, held in Malaysia. He finished as the third-highest run-getter in the tournament.
• Kohli made his senior team international debut on August 18, 2008, at the age of 19 years during the tour of Sri Lanka for the ODI series.
• Kohli's first international century was against Sri Lanka when he scored 107 of 111 balls to record highest successful run chase at Eden Gardens.
• Kohli became the first Indian to score a century on his World Cup debut match when he remained unbeaten on 100 in the match against Bangladesh during 2011 World Cup.
• Virat Kohli has kept wickets twice in his career.
• Virat surpassed Virender Sehwag’s four year old record to score the fastest century by an Indian in one-day international in 2013. He smashed 100 of just 52 balls against Australia.
• He is the first batsman to score double centuries in four consecutive series breaking the record of Australian great Don Bradman and Rahul Dravid of India.
• Kohli is the only cricketer to score 500 runs in a bilateral ODI series.
• Kohli is the only Asian captain to win Tests in England, Australia and South Africa.