Who is Called the King of Cricket

The cricket world has witnessed many great players with extraordinary skills, but only a few come close to being called the ‘King of Cricket.’

In the beginning, Sir Donald Bradman was considered a gifted cricketer, but most of us haven’t even seen him bat. You may find a few clips online, though they won’t justify the talent Mr. Bradman had. 

Over the years, fans have seen the likes of Vivian Richards, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, and many other great players of their generation. 

But who is the king of cricket in the modern world?

In the contemporary era, there are many players who can take over this title, but Virat Kohli is the current undisputed modern-day ‘King of Cricket’ with staggering records across all formats.

Let’s look at why Virat Kohli is considered the ‘King of Cricket’ of the contemporary world. 

Also Read: Who is Called the GOAT in Cricket? Indian Perspective

Who is Known as the ‘King of Cricket’?

The simple answer to the question ‘Who is the King of Cricket’ is Virat Kohli, the current all-format player for India and former captain as well. Virat began his career at a critical juncture in Indian cricket when Sachin, a big name and the God of Cricket, was gradually moving toward the end of his career. 

Virat grew up idolizing Sachin, like many others in India and other parts of the world, but he never tried to copy the latter. When Virat started playing for India, he brought an aggressive style of cricket with him. His aggression helped India win many tournaments under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. 

The ‘King of Cricket’ title has been bestowed upon Virat for many reasons, some of which are explored below. 

Why is Virat Kohli Considered the ‘King of Cricket’?

When a fan hears the word King in the context of cricket, the name that immediately comes to mind is Virat Kohli. 

With exquisite batting technique and an orthodox stance, Virat excels at shot-making for every type of delivery. His textbook-style cover drive must be the favorite shot of every cricket fan in the world. 

• Red Ball Genius: The favorite format of the King is Test Cricket, he’s been vocal about it in many interviews. And his record in Test Cricket reflects his beliefs in the format, as he is about 1600 runs shy from reaching 10,000 runs in test cricket. 
• World Cricket Ambassador: Virat is the unofficial brand ambassador of cricket worldwide. His aggression on the field and humbleness off it are appreciated by fans all around the globe. He has been in the limelight from the beginning, and his name has been associated with the top athletes in any form of sports. 
• Records Breaking is a Hobby: Breaking records for fun is kind of a hobby for Virat. Since the debut, Virat has been on a path to breaking old records held by many other great players, especially Sachin. He may one day break the record for the highest centuries in world cricket. 
• King in T20 Game: Top experts in cricket believed that the traditional approach to cricket might not work in the t20 format, but Virat has proved them wrong. His record of the most Man of the Series awards in t20 cricket is a testament to his ability to play the format and compete with the best in the world. 
• The Run Machine: Since his debut, Virat has been churning out quality knocks in all game formats. He is a literal run machine in every format of the game. In fact, he has also completed 12000 ODI runs approx 50 innings before the next best, Sachin Tendulkar. 

King of Cricket – Records

King Kohli has played all around the globe and taken the best bowlers to the cleaners. His record in all formats is sensational; he has a whopping 9 centuries and double centuries against west indies in ODIs, which is tied with Sachin Tendulkar. 

And now, he has dethroned Sachin Tendulkar from the top by scoring the 50th ODI century in the recently concluded World Cup. Apart from 50 ODI centuries, Virat also has 29 Test centuries and one T20I century as well.

Apart from Virat Kohli centuries, there are some innings of significance like the one he played against Pakistan in T20 World Cup in 2022 when he made 82 runs off 53 balls and took his team home.

Here we will take a look at some of the records held by Virat Kohli at the time of writing this article. 

• He has the most Player of the Series awards combined in all game formats. 
• He is the fastest to 3500 hundred runs in T20 cricket.
• He has most fifties in T20 internationals.
• He has the highest career batting average in T20 Cricket (52.73).
• He has the most career runs in T20 Internationals
• He has most Player of the Series awards in T20 Internationals
• He is the fastest to 12000 and 13000 runs in ODI Cricket.
• He has the most Hundreds against one team in ODIs.
• He has scored a hundred in each innings of a match in Test Cricket. 
• He has completed 5000 runs and 50 field dismissals in Test Cricket. 
• He is fourth on the list of most international runs scored combined in all formats. 
• He has scored the second most hundreds (11) in a calendar year, only behind Sachin Tendulkar. Impressively, he has achieved this feat twice, in calendar years 2017 and 2018.
• Virat Kohli is the highest run scorer in the T20 World Cup. He has scored a total of 1141 runs in 25 innings with an average of 81.50.
• He is the only active player to have scored 80 international centuries.

Captaincy Records of Virat Kohli

Virat has led the team India in 213 matches and won 135 of them. He is second only to MS Dhoni with overall wins as a captain of India. Here is the complete table of his captaincy records (format-wise).

Here are some of the captaincy records of Virat Kohli.

• He has won the most Test matches as Captain (40).
• He has scored the most runs as captain of India.
• Under Virat’s captaincy, India achieved number-one rankings in all formats.
• The Indian team also won five ICC Test mace under his captaincy.
• Indian team won the Test series in Australia twice under Virat’s Captaincy.

Current All-Format Numbers for Virat Kohli

Virat is the only player among the active players in the cricket world to score more than 26000 runs in international cricket. He has redefined the way we were looking at batting. Numbers alone tell a story about how good he has been over the years. For a player who is a firm believer in test cricket and its way, scoring the most runs in T20Is is simply magical.

This table shows the stats of Virat Kohli till December 2023. See for yourself how Virat has been over the years when it comes to performing at the highest levels.

Some Notable Accolades

Here are some notable accolades for Virat Kohli’s contribution to cricket. 

• He has been the recipient of the Arjuna Award, the second-highest sporting honor. 
• He has been the recipient of Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award. 
• He has been the recipient of the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honor. 
• He has also been the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade (2011-2020). 
• He has also been the ICC Cricketer of the Decade (2011-2020).

Concluding Remarks

All things considered, Virat is the unchallenged ‘King of Cricket’ in the modern era. At 34, he has several years ahead of him in the game, and with his exceptional fitness, he can play for a long time to come. 

So, the prestigious title of ‘King of Cricket in the World’ belongs to none other than Virat Kohli. 

Do share your thoughts on who is the king of cricket, according to you? 

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