What makes Virat Kohli standout?

As Team India whitewashed Sri Lanka 5-0 in the ODI series, their captain Virat Kohli entered record books once again. Not just did he score his 30th ODI ton, Kohli also became the batsman with most number of ODI centuries in 2017. He has smashed four ODI tons this year.

Not just that, he also equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most centuries by a batsman against Sri Lanka – 8 centuries.

After the lone T20I, he became the fastest to score 15000 runs in international cricket.

Kohli’s hunger for runs is undying. His consistency is remarkable. Let us glance at some other feats achieved by the young batsman.

Four successive double centuries in Tests

When India toured West Indies last year, Virat scored his maiden double hundred and also became the first ever Indian captain to register an overseas double century. In the following series against New Zealand, England and Bangladesh at home, Kohli registered consecutive double hundreds. With that, he went past Rahul Dravid and Sir Donald Bradman, who had three successive double tons.

His centuries which came in a chase

It is often said, and proved too, that there is no better batsman than Kohli to chase targets, even under pressure.

The Delhi-born cricketer is the batsman with most runs while chasing in T20Is: 1007*

Earlier this year, he went past Tendulkar’s record of the most hundreds while chasing in ODIs. While Tendulkar took 232 innings to score 17 centuries, Kohli took just 102 innings to score 18 ODI tons while batting second.

2016 – The year he mastered the art of T20 cricket

In 2016, the young batsman became the first to score more than 600 T20I runs in a calendar year. From 13 innings that year, he scored 641 at an average of 106.83!

His feats as a captain

Kohli, in his very first Test as the skipper in absence of the regular captain MS Dhoni in 2014, smashed 115 and 141 against Australia in Adelaide.

In his next game as the captain, after Dhoni’s retirement, he scored yet another century and became the only captain to score three consecutive tons in his first three innings.

Under Kohli, India need just one more Test series win to go past Ricky Ponting’s record of the most number of successive Test series wins - nine. Under Kohli, India have eight consecutive Test series win.