Virat Kohli at 38: The records, the reinvention and a legacy that keeps growing

The child born on 5th November 1988 in Delhi has gone on to become one of the most influential cricketers of his generation. Nearly four decades on, Virat Kohli celebrates his 38th birthday with some incredible milestones, awards and records. Not only has he scored a mind-blowing amount of runs, but he has adapted his game to change expectations of modern batting.

From leading India to Under-19 World Cup glory to being the most successful Test Captain for India in terms of wins, Kohli has always had that drive to achieve. Even after retiring from two formats of the game, his story is far from over.

From Under-19 Champion to International Star

Kohli first entered the limelight when he led the Indian team to victory in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia in 2008. During the tournament he scored a huge 235 runs, including a century against the West Indies.

Two months later, Kohli made his international debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka on 18th August. After this, he made his Test debut against the West Indies in 2011. He also made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in 2010.

Kohli did struggle to make a name for himself amongst some of the biggest names in international cricket, but gradually became one of India's most reliable batters.

His main strength was his consistency in scoring centuries.

ODI Record-Breaker: Chasing Specialist

A format that best sums up Kohli's batting is the ODI.

As of 5th November 2026, Kohli has scored a staggering 15,183 runs in 318 ODIs. He has scored an incredible 55 centuries and 80 half-centuries. He is the second highest run scorer in men's ODIs, behind Tendulkar.

However, his century total is something to note. In 2023 he broke Tendulkar's record of 49 centuries in ODIs by scoring his 50th century, making him the first batter to ever hit 50 centuries in the format. He did so against New Zealand in the World Cup Semi-Final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Since then he has gone onto score 55 centuries.

In October 2018, Kohli became the fastest batter to score 10,000 runs in ODIs. He did so in 205 innings, beating Tendulkar by 54 innings.

His ability to play under pressure in high-pressure chases has earned him the nickname of Chasing Specialist. He has broken Tendulkar's record to become the highest run scorer in ODI chases by scoring 8741 runs on 4th November 2026. He also holds the record for most centuries in successful ODI chases with 25.

During the 2023 ODI World Cup, he scored a record 765 runs in 11 innings. This broke Tendulkar's record of scoring the most runs in a single edition. He also became the first batter to score 50 centuries in ODIs in the tournament.

Test Captaincy: Changing India's ambitions

Kohli has made a huge impact in Indian Test format.

He has captained India in 68 Test Matches and won an incredible 40 of them. This makes him the most successful Test Captain in terms of wins in India.

Under his captaincy, India's identity in overseas Test Cricket has improved. The greatest moment in this was the historic victory in Australia during the 2018-19 season. They became the first Asian team to win a Test series in Australia.

From his personal perspective, Kohli has also done well.

He has scored 9230 runs in 123 Tests with an average of 46.85. He has scored 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. He scored 7 double centuries, tying with Virender Sehwag for the most double centuries in India.

Interestingly, all of his double centuries have come whilst he was captain. This is the world record for the most double centuries by a Test Captain.

He has also scored the highest score by an Indian Test Captain, an unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune in 2019.

However, in May 2025, Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket. This concludes an incredible 14-year career in Test Cricket.

T20: A Captain with no boundaries

Kohli has shown that he can bat in all formats.

He has scored an incredible 4188 runs in 125 T20Is with an average of 48.70. He has an incredible record in T20 World Cups.

He has been the highest run-scorer in the tournament, scoring 1292 runs across six editions between 2012 and 2024.

Kohli scored 319 runs in the 2014 edition, setting a record that stood for 12 years before Sahibzada Farhan surpassed it with 383 runs in 2026.

He also became the first player to win back-to-back Player of the Tournament awards in 2014 and 2016.

However, the 2024 T20 World Cup was the perfect end to this chapter. He scored 76 against South Africa in the Final in Barbados to help India win their second T20 World Cup.

He was the Player of the Match in the Final and announced his retirement from T20 Internationals.

IPL: A record breaker finally winning a trophy

Kohli had an interesting relationship with the IPL. For years he was putting in some incredible individual performances but was failing to win a trophy.

This changed in 2025.

After playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru since the first season in 2008, he won the trophy after RCB beat Punjab Kings in the final.

They defended their title successfully in 2026 after beating Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets. They became only the third team to win back-to-back IPL Championships.

Kohli has made a huge impact for the franchise. In 2016 he scored 973 runs including 4 centuries. This was a record for the most runs scored by an individual in one season of the IPL.

As of 5th November 2026 he has scored 9336 runs in the IPL, making him the highest run scorer in the competition. He also holds the record for most centuries (9) and half-centuries (68).

He has also become the first batter to score over 600 runs in 4 consecutive seasons. He scored 639, 741, 657 and 675 runs across the 2023 to 2026 seasons.

After being with the same franchise throughout the history of the tournament, winning back-to-back titles in 2025 and 2026 has made his IPL story even more special.

Awards, Stats and Legacy

Kohli has won many awards.

Some of the most notable are:

ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year (2017, 2018)

ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year (2012, 2017, 2018, 2023)

ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year (2018)

ICC Men's Cricketer of the Decade (2011-2020)

ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Decade (2011-2020)

ICC Men's Player of the Month (October 2022)

He has also won the World Cup in 2011 (ODI), 2013 (Champions Trophy), 2024 (T20 World Cup) and 2025 (Champions Trophy) with India.

Across international cricket, he has scored 28601 runs and scored 86 centuries. This makes him the second highest run scorer and century scorer in international cricket, behind Tendulkar.

However, this does not tell us the whole story.

Kohli has really pushed the conversation around professional standards in Indian cricket by focusing on fitness, athleticism and intensity. He has also added a new edge to the national team with his aggressive style of play.

However, Kohli did struggle during 2019 to 2022 with a long century drought. There were questions over his form but he showed his ability to bounce back by scoring centuries again, including an unbeaten 122 against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup.

Now aged 38, Kohli is mainly focusing on ODIs after retiring from Test and T20 Internationals. With the ODI World Cup in 2027, there could be another chapter to his story.

He has achieved everything generations of cricketers dream of doing. However, what makes Virat Kohli interesting is that he has never been known for one record, one trophy or one format.

He has constantly set the standard and then bounced back to raise it again. This is what makes his cricketing journey incredible.