Virat Kohli

Some Lesser Known Facts About Virat Kohli

• Does Virat Kohli drink alcohol?: Yes

• Since the age of 3, Virat was fascinated by cricket.

  

• When he was 9½ years old, his father took him to Raj Kumar Sharma’s West Delhi Cricket Academy.

  

• In 2003, his coach Raj Kumar Sharma had invited Ashish Nehra to his academy, where he awarded young Kohli as he was the highest run-scorer for Delhi in the 2002-2003 Polly Umrigar Trophy, with 172 runs at an average of 34.40.

  

• His nickname ‘Chikoo’ was given by his Delhi State coach Ajit Chaudhary in his childhood days.

• His favourite subject was ‘History’, and he used to hate ‘Maths.’

• In 2006, his father died of a brain stroke, but the very next day after his father’s death, he played a match-saving knock for Delhi against Karnataka, where he scored 90 runs.

• He never had any backup plan for his future as he always wanted to be a cricketer.

• He has a number of superstitions. He wears black wristbands, and never forgets to wear his ‘Kada’ before his matches.

• He is scared of heights.

• He doesn’t like to have long conversions on the mobile phone.

• He always wears black wristbands for superstitious reasons.

• He is very aggressive as well as an emotional person, he cries when he gets upset. He was seen crying on the field when India did not qualify for the semi-finals in 2012’s T20 World cup.

• He won the ICC ODI Player of the Year Award in 2012.

• In 2012, he was named as one of the 10 best dressed international men.

• He was given the Arjuna Award (2013) and Padma Shri Award (2017) by the Government of India.

  

• The same year, he was appointed the first brand ambassador of Border Security Force (BSF).

  

• He is a huge fan of Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer. He is also the co-owner of the ‘UAE Royals’ International Premier Tennis League team.

  

• He loves tattoos and his count of tattoos keeps on increasing. The first on his left shoulder is ‘God’s eye’ which is a symbol of the power of seeing and understanding that which is unknown and unknowable. Second on his left shoulder is ‘Japanese Samurai warrior’ which is a symbol of living the life based on loyalty to one’s master, self discipline and respectful, ethical behaviour. Third on his left arm is a ‘Monastery’ which is a symbol of a place of peace and power. Fourth on his left arm is ‘Lord Shiva in meditation with Mount Kailash and Mansarovar lake.’ Fifth on his right bicep is a ‘Scorpion’ which is his Zodiac sign.
  

  

  In March 2023, ahead of the 2023 season of IPL, he was spotted flaunting a new tattoo that he got inked on his right hand. According to tattoo artist Sunny Bhanushali, who inked him this new tattoo, the tattoo reflects Kohli’s spirituality. While giving a glimpse of Kohli’s new tattoo, Bhanushali wrote on his blog,

  He wanted to cover up his old tattoo with a new one. As I got to work on the project, I felt the pressure and excitement building up inside me. I couldn’t believe that I was working with the one and only Virat Kohli. I could feel the energy and passion that Virat brought to the project. It was clear to me that this tattoo meant a lot to him, and he was determined to get it just right. I poured my heart and soul into the design, meticulously crafting each element to perfection.” ^[12]The Indian Express

  

• He owns a restaurant in Delhi called ‘ Nueva.’

  

• He is a decent singer, and in 2016, a video of him singing “Jo Wada Kiya Hai Nibhana Padhega” had gone viral.

• He is a truly determined sportsperson, who is not only focused on his cricketing skills but also towards fitness, for which he is idolised by many. Click here to see Virat Kohli’s fitness secrets!

• On 11 December 2017, Virat and Anushka got married in a private ceremony in Tuscany, Italy. More details here!

• On 25 September 2018, the Government of India conferred Virat Kohli with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

  

• In October 2019, he revealed that he had turned vegetarian and said that after turning vegetarian, he was feeling better and proud. Taking to Twitter Kohli wrote, 

• During India’s tour of England in 2014, Kohli scored an average of 13.5 runs in ten innings with 1, 8, 25, 0, 39, 28, 0,7, 6, and 20 runs in five Tests, and after this clumsy performance, he went into depression; Kohli revealed this while conversating with former England player Mark Nicholas on his ‘Not Just Cricket’ podcast, he said,
  

  You just don’t understand how to get over it. That was a phase when I literally couldn’t do anything to overturn things…I felt like I was the loneliest guy in the world.”

• In the same year, he opened his apparel brand named WROGN. The brand, in October 2024, recorded a revenue decline of 29 per cent.

  

• On 16 September 2021, he took to Twitter to announce that he will step down as India’s T20 captain after the T20 World Cup in UAE; however, he will continue to lead the Indian team in ODIs and Test cricket. His Twitter post reads,
  

  I’ve decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October.”

  He elaborated,

  Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all three formats and captaining regularly for last five to six years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead Indian team in Test and ODI cricket.

  He further added,

  I have given my everything to the Team during my time as T20 captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 team as a batsman moving forward.”

• On 15 January 2022, he took to Twitter to announce that he stepped down as Test captain. ^[13]The Hindu He tweeted,
  

  It has been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I’ve done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test captain of India, it is now. There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey: but never had there been a lack of effort or a lack of belief.”

  He added,

  I have always believed in giving my 120 percent in everything I do, and if I can’t do that, I know it is not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to the team.”

  While giving thanks to Shatri & Co., he said,

  Ravi Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved up in Test Cricket consistently. You all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to M.S. Dhoni who believed in me as captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian cricket forward.”

• On 7 June 2022, he became the first Indian to cross the 200 million followers mark on Instagram. ^[14]NDTV

• On 4 September 2022, after scoring a half-century against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, while speaking to the media, Kohli talked about M. S. Dhoni and said that it was only Dhoni who reached out to him when Kohli stepped down as the Test captain in January 2022. He said,
  

  One thing I can tell you is when I gave up Test captaincy, I got a message from only one person who I’ve played with before — M. S. Dhoni.”

  He also criticised those who gave suggestions on TV debates but never approached him. He added,

  A lot of people have my number and a lot of people give suggestions on TV, but among people who have my number, I didn’t get a message from anyone else.” ^[15]The Hindu

• On the occasion of his 35th birthday, i.e., on 5 November 2023, Virat Kohli received a golden bat as a gift from Snehasish Ganguly, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president.

  

• Virat Kohli paid homage to Sachin Tendulkar by bowing after scoring his 50th ODI ton in a match against New Zealand during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup; the match took place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 15 November 2023.

  

• On 24 January 2024, he emerged as the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2023.

• He often changes his hairstyle, and ahead of the 2024 IPL, his new hairstyle went viral on the internet. Celebrity hair-stylish Aalim Hakim gave him this new look.

  

• In May 2024, his name was featured on the “Blockout 2024 list” for his alleged silence on the situation in Gaza. Blockout 2024 is a movement on social media, where users are asked to block/unfollow celebrities who have remained silent on Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

• In August 2024, Virat Kohli was selected to play the Duleep Trophy by the BCCI before the test series with Bangladesh. He was chosen alongside Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, and Kuldeep Yadav.

• In October 2024, it was reported that Virat and his wife Anushka were the followers of Krishna Das, an American vocalist who believes in the teachings of the Neem Karoli Baba, after the couple were seen attending an event which was also attended by Krishna.

• On 12 May 2025, he announced his retirement from the test cricket format. Earlier, in the same month, he had expressed his desire to retire to the BCCI. His last match was against Australia in January 2025 during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.