"The backbone of Indian cricket" - Cricket fraternity wishes Virat Kohli on his 36th birthday
Team India's ace batter Virat Kohli turned 36 on Tuesday, November 5. The former Indian captain received countless wishes on the special day, with many members of the cricket fraternity extending wishes to the prolific run-scorer.
Kohli was born on November 5 in 1988. The right-handed batter became a household name after leading India to U19 World Cup triumph in 2008. He made his Team India debut in 2008 and soon established himself as the lynchpin of the batting order with consistent performances across formats.
Several current and former cricketers took to social media to wish Kohli a happy birthday. Here are some of the posts:
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli was last seen in action during India's recently concluded three-match home Test series against New Zealand. He failed to get going in the rubber, chalking up just 93 runs across six innings.
India would want Kohli to be at his vintage best as they tour Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Rohit Sharma-led side need to win the five-Test series 4-0 to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC 2023-25) final on their own.
Virat Kohli equaled Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI centuries on his last birthday
Virat Kohli enjoyed an imperious run at the 2023 ODI World Cup. With 765 runs from 11 matches, he was the leading run-getter at the showpiece event.
It is worth mentioning that on his 35th birthday, Kohli achieved a significant feat as he equaled legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI centuries. He did so with a stunning 101*-run knock against South Africa.
Later in the 2023 ODI World Cup, Kohli became the batter to hit the most number of ODI centuries by completing his 50th ton in the format. His 50th hundred came in the all-important semi-final against New Zealand, where he scored 117 runs.