India

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

<h3>Introduction</h3>
<p>India cricket supporters have witnessed many great players, but few greater than Virat Kohli, who has reigned supreme in the cricket world with his incredible batting talent. Born on November 5, 1988, in Delhi to Prem Kohli, a criminal lawyer, and Saroj Kohli, a housewife, Kohli joined West Delhi Cricket Academy in 1998 and got trained under his coach Rajkumar Sharma.&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Career Information</h3>
<p><strong>Test Debut:</strong> West Indies vs India at Kingston, June 20-23, 2011</p>
<p><strong>ODI Debut:</strong> Sri Lanka vs India at Dambulla, August 18, 2008</p>
<p><strong>T20I Debut: </strong>Zimbabwe vs India at Harare, June 12, 2010</p>
<p><strong>IPL Debut:</strong> Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders, April 18, 2008</p>
<p>In 2006, Kohli made his List A debut for Delhi against Services at the age of 17. In November 2006, at 18, he made his maiden appearance in first-class cricket for his state. However, in 2008, he grabbed eyeballs as he led the India Under-19 team from the front to a title triumph in the <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cwc-cricket-world-cup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Cup</a>.</strong></p>
<h3>International Debut:</h3>
<p>Following his impressive show for the junior side in the Under-19 World Cup, Kohli got selected in the ODI team for the Sri Lanka tour in 2008. On August 18, 2008, 19-year-old Kohli made his international debut in the first ODI against Sri Lanka and opened the innings with Gautam Gambhir. He was dismissed on 12 runs in his maiden international game.</p>
<h3>Earning a spot in the national squad:</h3>
<p>In 2010, the Indian team management backed Kohli despite his struggle with the bat in the back-to-back series. However, in the three-match ODI series against Australia at home, he notched up a century and earned the Player of the Match award in the second match in Visakhapatnam. During the home ODI series against New Zealand, Kohli hit a crucial match-winning century in the first game in Guwahati.</p>
<p>Appearing in the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, Kohli’s crucial 83-run stand with Gautam Gambhir helped India in a memorable triumph. In June 2011, Kohli received a Test cap as he made his first appearance in the longest format of the game in the first match against the West Indies in Kingston.</p>
<p>In December 2011, he went to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and emerged as the leading run-scorer for India. Playing the final game at the Adelaide Oval, he also scored his maiden century against the Aussies. In 2012, Kohli won the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award after becoming the top scorer in 2011.&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Captaincy Career:</h3>
<p>In the absence of the regular skipper <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/ms-dhoni" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MS Dhoni</a></strong>, due to an injury, Kohli captained the side in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014-15. On the bouncy track of Adelaide Oval, he exuded confidence as a batter with his twin centuries (115 and 141)..&nbsp;</p>
<p>In the second innings, Kohli’s elegant innings gave the Aussies a headache as the visitors looked set to chase 364 with ease before a dramatic batting collapse. India lost the distinguished four-match Test competition by a 2-0 margin but for Kohli, it was a perfect series as he became the leading run-scorer for India, scoring 692 runs with four centuries and a half-century in eight innings.&nbsp;</p>
<p>After MS Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket in December 2014, Kohli got the reins of the Test captaincy. From 2015-17, the Indian Test team looked in magnificent form under him. Thrashing the quality teams such as South Africa, New Zealand, England, and Australia, India became a dominant side at home.</p>
<p>After leading India for 10 years in white-ball cricket, MS Dhoni stepped down as a skipper. Filling the shoes of the veteran, Kohli took the mantle of captaincy with the three-match ODI series against England at home. Leading the ODI team for the first time as a full-time skipper, he secured a 2-1 win against the visitors.&nbsp;</p>
<p>As an ODI captain, Kohli faced one of the major blows in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 as India got hammered by the arch-rivals Pakistan in the final. However, after the infamous defeat, he created history with his captaincy skills as the Indian team achieved immense success not only at home but also overseas. In February 2018, Kohli and his men pummelled the Proteas by a 5-1 margin and tasted their maiden ODI series win in South Africa.</p>
<p>In 2018-19, India achieved success in winning a Test series in Australia for the first time. After more than two years of the spectacular journey under the veteran’s leadership, India played some brilliant cricket in the 2019 World Cup as well. However, New Zealand handed an 18-run defeat to the Men in Blue in the semi-final and shattered their dream of lifting the trophy.</p>
<p>During his captaincy stint, Kohli came under fierce criticism for not winning any major trophies for the nation. In 2021, the ICC Test Championship final loss and the embarrassing <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20-world-cup" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>T20 World Cup</strong></a> campaign made the matter worse. After the T20 World Cup 2021, he relinquished the shortest format’s captaincy. In January 2022, Kohli stepped down as India’s captain from ODI and Tests as well.</p>
<h3>IPL Career:</h3>
<p>In 2008, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) roped in Virat Kohli for INR 12 lakh at the auction. &nbsp;Since the maiden season of the tournament, he has been a vital cog in the team due to his incredible batting potential. After serving the franchise efficiently for five seasons, he got the captaincy mantle in 2013. In 2016, Kohli had the best <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPL</a></strong> season as he looked effective with the bat, becoming the highest run-scorer in the competition with a record 973 runs in the season, including four centuries.. However, with captaincy, he couldn’t help the team to win their maiden title losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final. In 2021, he left the captaincy after leading the franchise for nine seasons.&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Virat Kohli Personal Life:</h3>
<p>In 2013, Virat Kohli started dating Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma. His relationship with the diva got a lot of media attention. On December 11, 2017, both got married in a private ceremony in Florence, Italy. After more than three years of marriage, the couple became parents as they welcomed a daughter, Vamika, in Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital.</p>

Virat Kohli News: Check out the latest news and updates on Virat Kohli along with photos, videos, biography, career stats, family, lifestyle, and more on CricTracker.

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Chennai Super Kings

Bihar

India A

Jharkhand

Rising Pune Supergiant

<h2>Introduction</h2>
<p>MS Dhoni is counted among one of the most distinguished names in cricket. Before developing an interest in cricket, Dhoni used to play as a goalkeeper for DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir school football team. Witnessing his superb goalkeeping skills, coach Keshab Ranjan Banerjee selected him to keep wickets and play cricket for the school team.&nbsp;</p>
<p>During his teenage years, his wonderful wicket-keeping skills helped him to get picked as a wicket-keeper batter in the Commando Cricket Club. After doing wonders at club cricket, he played in the Vinoo Mankad trophy Under-16 Championship as well.</p>
<h3>MS Dhoni's Career Information:</h3>
<p><strong>Test Debut:</strong> India vs Sri Lanka at MA Chidambaram Stadium, December 02-06, 2005<br><strong>ODI Debut: </strong>Bangladesh vs India at MA Aziz Stadium, December 23, 2004<br><strong>T20I Debut: </strong>South Africa vs India at The Wanderers Stadium, December 1, 2006</p>
<p><strong>Teams:</strong> India, Air India Blue, Asia XI, Bihar, Bradman XI, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), East Zone, East Zone Under-19s, Help for Heroes XI, India A, India Seniors, India Board President’s XI, International XI, Jharkhand, Jharkhand Under-19s, Rajasthan Cricket Association President’s XI, Rest of India, Rising Pune Supergiants, &amp; Sehwag XI</p>
<p>Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the most successful names in the history of cricket. The legendary cricketer achieved phenomenal records for India in his almost 15 years of career with dedication and diligence. With his batting, wicket-keeping, and captaincy, he served his national team in an efficient manner.&nbsp;</p>
<h4>Early Career:</h4>
<p>MS Dhoni was born to Pan Singh and Devaki Devi in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand). During his school days, Dhoni’s coach Keshab Ranjan Banerjee pulled him away from football and asked him to take up cricket. In his initial days, he built a reputation of demolishing bowling attacks with his ferocious batting style. Despite performing well at the state level, Dhoni couldn’t go to the next level as more A-lister cricketers were chosen ahead of him.&nbsp;</p>
<p>After facing a snub despite doing well, he took up the job of a ticket collector at the Kharagpur Railways Station in West Bengal. With this move, he also got a chance to join the Railways Ranji team. However, after a few months, Dhoni grabbed the attention of scouts who were tasked to organize a country-wide Training Research Development Wing from the Board of Control for Cricket in India to pick talented cricketers from financially backward states. With this development, he got selected to represent India A team that toured Kenya in 2004. In the series, he batted excellently and impressed everyone with his power-hitting might.</p>
<h4>International Debut:</h4>
<p>In December 2004, the selectors picked him in the ODI team for India’s tour of Bangladesh. However, his debut game didn’t go well as he got run out for a duck. Despite Dhoni’s average show against Bangladesh, he got a chance in the ODI series against Pakistan at home in April 2005. Playing the second match of the series in Visakhapatnam, he played a stunning knock of 148 runs off just 123 deliveries. With this innings, he cemented his place in the ODI team. Later, in October, Dhoni showed his power again as he played arguably the best ODI innings of his career, scoring 183* runs off 145 balls against Sri Lanka in Jaipur.</p>
<h4>Captaincy:</h4>
<p>In 2007, during India’s tour of England, <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/sachin-tendulkar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sachin Tendulkar</a></strong> was offered the role to lead India. However, instead of accepting the responsibility, Master Blaster recommended Dhoni’s name. In the inaugural edition of the 2007 T20 World Cup, the selectors gave him the opportunity to lead the side. Holding the captaincy mantle for the first time, he proved his leadership skills by winning the title.</p>
<p>Considering his scintillating performance as a skipper, he was appointed full-time captain of the Indian team in white-ball cricket. After showcasing his leadership mettle in the T20I format, Dhoni looked brilliant with his captaincy in the ODI format as well. In 2008, holding the reins of the team, Dhoni helped the team to clinch the tri-series in Australia with Sri Lanka being the third team.</p>
<p>After Anil Kumble’s retirement from all forms of cricket in November 2008, Dhoni became the captain of the team in all forms. Under his phenomenal leadership, India became the number 1 Test team in December 2009. In 2011, Dhoni got appreciated for his incredible batting and leadership skills as he contributed to the team’s <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cwc-cricket-world-cup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Cup</a></strong> triumph at home and joined the league of World Cup-winning captains.&nbsp;</p>
<h4>Lean Patch &amp; Redemption:</h4>
<p>After the famous World Cup victory, Dhoni’s captaincy came under scrutiny after humiliating overseas Test series losses in England and Australia. Following the Test series defeat in England, India also lost their title as the number 1 Test side in the world. In 2012, things got worse for Dhoni as the team lost to England at home by a 1-2 margin. Observing his dismal performance as a Test captain, his critics got a chance to raise fingers at him. In 2013, Dhoni replaced senior players with youngsters and revamped the side. Utilising the spectacular spirit of youngsters, Dhoni led the nation to its second ICC Champions Trophy title (India jointly shared the title in 2002 with hosts Sri Lanka).&nbsp;</p>
<h4>Extraordinary IPL Journey:</h4>
<p>In the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, the love story between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) began. The franchise grabbed him for an enormous sum of INR 6 crore. In the maiden season of the league, he led CSK to the final but lost to Rajasthan Royals (RR).<br>&nbsp;<br>Although RR won the title, Dhoni left an impact on the competition with his leadership talent. In 2010, the dashing wicket-keeper batter showcased his captaincy skills in the IPL as well. With the final match win against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2010 competition, Dhoni started CSK’s dominance in the tournament. In 2011, his franchise defended its title successfully after routing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) comfortably in the final. So far, Captain Cool has bagged five <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPL </a></strong>trophies for his franchise with exceptional leadership and batting talent.</p>
<h4>Retirement:</h4>
<p>In the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Dhoni brought the curtain down on his Test career after helping India drew the Boxing day Test in Melbourne. After the Test retirement, he captained the ODI side in the 2015 World Cup but couldn’t retain the trophy. On January 4, 2017, he handed the captaincy mantle to Virat Kohli after resigning as India’s white-ball skipper.</p>
<p>At the age of 37, he appeared in India’s 2019 World Cup squad which marked his last appearance in international cricket. During the tournament, he came under fierce criticism for his underwhelming strike rate against Afghanistan and England. On August 15, 2020, Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket after almost 15 years of his remarkable career.</p>
<h3>MS Dhoni's Personal Life:</h3>
<p>MS Dhoni is married to Sakshi Singh Rawat since 2010 and the couple has a daughter named Ziva Dhoni. Before tying the knot, Dhoni and Sakshi dated each other. He is also an avid supporter of the Indian Army and in July 2019, he spent a day with the parachute regiment in Ranchi. While spending time with soldiers, he also said that since childhood, he wanted to join the Army.&nbsp;</p>

MS Dhoni News: Check out the latest news and updates on MS Dhoni along with photos, videos, biography, career stats, and more on CricTracker.

Virat Kohli

India

MS Dhoni

India

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