The year 2016 turned out to be Kohli’s best phase by some distance as he plundered runs across formats with his consistency reaching insane levels. He amassed over 2500 international runs at a mind-boggling average of 86.50 with seven centuries and 13 half-centuries from 40 innings. This included a ‘Man of the Tournament’ award in the 2016 World T20 where India made the semifinals. In addition to this, he also racked up a phenomenal 900 runs in the Indian T20 League with an incredible four centuries to his name. During the 2016-17 season, Kohli also became the first batsman to register a double century in four successive Test series, going past the legendary Sir Donald Bradman and Rahul Dravid, both of whom had managed it for three consecutive series. His exploits showed the world that he can dominate in all formats simultaneously without breaking a sweat.

After a dreamy 2016-17 season, Virat carried his form to the tour of South Africa in the early part of 2018. Though India lost the series 2-1, his 153 in the second Test at Centurion proved his potential once again in alien conditions. He even took his side to series wins in the limited-overs format, which was a first for India in South Africa. The lad from Delhi went on to become the fastest to reach 10,000 runs in ODI cricket when he reached it in his 205th innings, beating the record holder and compatriot, Sachin Tendulkar who did it in 259 innings. It has not been all personal feats though, the national team has come leaps and bounds under his captaincy. They created history in early 2019 by becoming the first-ever Indian side to register a Test series win over Australia in Australia.

Virat rather had a modest 2019 World Cup outing as a batsman, he scored 5 consecutive half-centuries but it came as a big surprise that a batsman of his stature didn't convert any into a hundred. Though India led under his leadership finished at the top of the points-table in the group stages of the tournament, India's campaign ultimately ended after a close defeat against New Zealand in the semi-finals.

Virat Kohli Reveals "Most Important Thing" About How IPL Helped His Career

Royal Challengers Bangalore star Virat Kohli spoke about how the IPL has helped his development as a player.

• Abhimanyu Bose
• Updated: May 04, 2022 05:46 PM IST

Virat Kohli is the highest run-getter in the history of the IPL.© BCCI/IPL

Virat Kohli is the leading run-scorer in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and one of the biggest names in the tournament. However, he never shies away from crediting the league for how it helped him develop as a player. Ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore's clash against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, the star revealed "the most important thing" about the league that helped improve his game. He said that the fact that the IPL let him compete against and share knowledge with the best players.

"Like so many other people, IPL has had a big influence and impact in my life. I think outside of playing for India, IPL gave me the platform to show my capabilities, compete against the best in the world and share knowledge with them," Kohli said while speaking on RCB's show on Star Sports.

 

by Taboola

Sponsored Links

 

Inventory Management Software Cost might surprise youCostumer Help softwareClick Here

 

"I think that was the most important thing that added a different dimension to my understanding of the game. This helped me move ahead in a very progressive manner," he said.

"I was picking brains of people that probably I wouldn't have come across otherwise on things like how to play in different conditions and what mindset they have," he explained.

"You know, people have different ways to succeed so it can't be just one template. So I used to be so excited and grateful for the opportunity to pick their brains and just learn from them day in and day out and that's for me has been the standout feature of IPL," he said.

Drawing comparisons to greats have never made Virat Kohli lose his work ethic. Having in mind his excellent fitness and ability to adapt to all formats without any fuss, it will not come as a surprise if he ends up owning most batting records by the time he brings the curtains down on his career.