Virat Kohli turns 35 on November 5, the day India will face South Africa in a top of the table clash in the World Cup 2023. With history beckoning, the star batter will be expected to be his passionate and intense self on his special day.
Virat Kohli, one of the finest batters of the modern era, turns 35 on November 5 and this time around, the timing of his birthday couldn’t be more special.
A colossal figure in the game just for the accolades and runs he has scored, Kohli will have a few birthday wishes this time around as India are in the midst of a home World Cup campaign as the team aims to bring the trophy home after a gap of 12 years.
Where it all started for Virat Kohli
This time, his date is with South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Surely destiny would not ditch him twice, not on his birthday, not on the ground where it all started for him 14 years ago. On a cold December evening in 2009, Kohli, still finding his feet at the international level, smashed a sublime 107 off 114 balls – his first century – to help India chase down 316 with 7 wickets in hand. Gautam Gambhir was the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 150 but he called Kohli after the match to share the award.
It was the first of Kohli’s 48 ODI centuries and also the first of his 27 in a run-chase. The occasion of scoring an international century in front of a large crowd might have been different but the feeling was not. He was, of course, no stranger to scoring centuries a the Eden Gardens. Despite being a Delhi boy, Kohli has played a lot of cricket at the historic venue during his formative days and scored hundreds, the last one being barely six months before that fateful night against Sri Lanka, during a P Sen Trophy final.
Kohli’s stellar numbers against South Africa and at Eden
This would be Kohli’s first ODI in Kolkata since 2017. He had scored 92 on a difficult pitch to walk away with the Player of the Match. In the 7 ODIs that he has played at this venue, he has scored at an average of 47. He has three half-centuries and a century to go with.
Chase Master Kohli:
Virat Kohli has been the backbone of India’s best chases over the last decade, earning him the title of ‘Chase Master’. Kohli has amassed 5,786 runs at an average of 90.40 during successful run chases in ODI cricket with 23 centuries and 25 half-centuries.
