The boy who asked his dad to bowl
Virat Kohli's story, from a three-year-old in West Delhi asking his dad to bowl to 86 international hundreds, told for his 38th birthday.
Key points
- December 2006: the night his father died, he went back to the ground the next morning and made 90 for Delhi.
- 2008: captained India to the Under-19 World Cup; in 2011 he carried Sachin on his shoulders after the World Cup win.
- As Test captain he won 40 of 68 Tests, including India's first Test series win in Australia.
- 86 international hundreds: 55 in ODIs (more than anyone ever), 30 in Tests and one in T20Is. In 2025, after 18 years with one club, he finally won the IPL.
Read the transcript
Before the 86 hundreds, there was a three-year-old in West Delhi with a bat too big for him, asking his dad to bowl. At nine, he joined a new cricket academy. Coach Rajkumar Sharma remembers a chubby, naughty kid. His dad took him to matches on a scooter.
December 2006: he is 18, 40 not out, Delhi in trouble. That night, his father dies. The next morning, he goes to the ground and he bats. 90.
In 2008, he captains India to the Under-19 World Cup. Months later, he plays for India. 2011: India win the World Cup and he lifts Sachin on his shoulders. As Test captain, he wins 40 of 68, and India win a series in Australia for the first time.
Then the hundreds stop: 1,020 days, until Dubai. Weeks later, Melbourne, Pakistan, 82 not out. On his 35th birthday, he equals Sachin's 49. Ten days later, with Sachin watching, he gets 50, and he bows.
2024: 76 in the World Cup final. 2025: 18 years, one club, and finally the IPL. 86 international hundreds: 55 in one-day cricket, more than anyone ever, 30 in Tests, one in T20s. The boy who asked his dad to bowl is 38 today, still batting.
The fifth of November. Happy birthday, King Kohli.
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