User talk:Haru Bhaai

Early life haru Bhaai was born on 5 November 1988 in Delhi into a Punjabi family.[8] His father, Prem Kohli, worked as a criminal lawyer and his mother, Saroj, is a housewife.[9] He has an elder brother, Vikash, and an elder sister, Bhavna.[10] According to his family, when he was three-years old, Kohli would pick up a cricket bat, start swinging it and ask his father to bowl at him.[11]

Kohli was raised in Uttam Nagar[12] and started his schooling at Vishal Bharti Public School. In 1998, the West Delhi Cricket Academy was created, and Kohli, a nine-year-old, was part of its first intake.[12] Kohli's father took him to the academy after their neighbours suggested that "Virat shouldn't waste his time in gully cricket and instead join a professional club".[9] Kohli trained at the academy under Rajkumar Sharma and also played matches at the Sumeet Dogra Academy at Vasundhara Enclave at the same time.[12] In ninth grade, he shifted to Savier Convent in Paschim Vihar to help his cricket practice.[9] Apart from sports, Kohli was good at academics as well, and his teachers remember him as "a bright and alert child".[13] Kohli's family lived in Meera Bagh until 2015 when they moved to Gurgaon.[14]

Kohli's father died on 18 December 2006 due to brain stroke after being bed-ridden for a month.[9] Regarding his early life, Kohli has said in an interview, "I've seen a lot in life. Losing my father at a young age, the family business not doing too well, staying in a rented place. There were tough times for the family... It's all embedded in my memory."[15] According to Kohli, his father supported his cricket training during his childhood, "My father was my biggest support. He was the one who drove me to practice everyday. I miss his presence sometimes."[16]

Youth and domestic career Kohli first played for Delhi Under-15 team in October 2002 in the 2002–03 Polly Umrigar Trophy. He was the leading run-getter for his team in that tournament with 172 runs at an average of 34.40.[17] He became the captain of the team for the 2003–04 Polly Umrigar Trophy[18] and scored 390 runs in 5 innings at an average of 78 including two centuries and two fifties.[19] In late-2004, he was selected in the Delhi Under-17 team for the 2003–04 Vijay Merchant Trophy. He scored 470 runs in four matches at an average of 117.50 with two hundreds and top-score of 251*.[20] Delhi Under-17s won the 2004–05 Vijay Merchant Trophy in which Kohli finished as the highest run-scorer with 757 runs from 7 matches at an average of 84.11 with two centuries.[21] In February 2006, he made his List A debut for Delhi against Services but did not get to bat.[22]

In July 2006, Kohli was selected in the India Under-19 squad on its tour of England. He averaged 105 in the three-match ODI series against England Under-19s[23] and 49 in the three-match Test series.[24] India Under-19 went on to win both the series. At the conclusion of the tour, the India Under-19 coach Lalchand Rajput was impressed with Kohli and said, "Kohli showed strong technical skills against both pace and spin".[25] In September, the India Under-19 team toured Pakistan. Kohli averaged 58 in the Test series[26] and 41.66 in the ODI series against Pakistan Under-19s.[27]

"The way I approached the game changed that day. I just had one thing in my mind - that I have to play for my country and live that dream for my dad."

“” — Kohli on his innings against Karnataka.[28] Kohli made his first-class debut for Delhi against Tamil Nadu in November 2006, at the age of 18, and scored 10 in his debut innings. He came into the spotlight in December when he decided to play for his team against Karnataka on the day after his father's death and went on to score 90.[29] He went directly to the funeral after he was dismissed. Delhi captain Mithun Manhas said, "That is an act of great commitment to the team and his innings turned out to be crucial," while coach Chetan Chauhan lauded Kohli's "attitude and determination."[30] His mother noted that "Virat changed a bit after that day. Overnight he became a much more matured person. He took every match seriously. He hated being on the bench. It's as if his life hinged totally on cricket after that day. Now, he looked like he was chasing his father's dream which was his own too."[9] He scored a total of 257 runs from 6 matches at an average of 36.71 in that season.[31]

In April 2007, he made his Twenty20 debut and finished as the highest run-getter for his team in the Inter-State T20 Championship with 179 runs at an average of 35.80.[32] In July–August 2007, the India Under-19 team toured Sri Lanka. In the triangular series against Sri Lanka Under-19s and Bangladesh Under-19s, Kohli was the second highest run-getter with 146 runs from 5 matches.[33] In the two-match Test series that followed, he scored 244 runs at an average of 122 including a hundred and a fifty.[34]

"He is a very physical type of player. He likes to impose himself on the game, backs it up with his skill."

“” — India's coach at the 2008 Under-19 World Cup Dav Whatmore on Kohli.[28] In February–March 2008, Kohli captained the victorious Indian team at the 2008 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia. Batting at number 4, he scored 235 runs in 6 matches at an average of 47, and finished as the tournament's third highest run-getter and one of the three batsmen to score a hundred in the tournament.[35] His century (100 runs from 74 balls) against the West Indies Under-19s in the group stage, which was called "the innings of the tournament" by ESPNcricinfo,[36] gave India a 50-run victory and earned Kohli the man of the match. Kohli picked up a leg injury during the match, but recovered in time to play the quarterfinal match against England Under-19s.[37] He was instrumental in India's three-wicket semifinal win over New Zealand Under-19s in which he took 2/27 and scored 43 in the tense run-chase and was awarded the man of the match.[38] He scored 19 against South Africa Under-19s in the final which India won by 12 runs (D/L method). ESPNcricinfo commended him for making several tactical bowling changes during the tournament.[36]

Following the Under-19 World Cup, Kohli was bought by the Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore for $30,000 on a youth contract.[39] In June 2008, Kohli and his Under-19 teammates Pradeep Sangwan and Tanmay Srivastava were awarded the Border-Gavaskar scholarship. The scholarship allowed the three players to train for six weeks at Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence in Brisbane.[35] In July 2008, he was included in India's 30-man probable squad for the ICC Champions Trophy which was to be held in Pakistan in September 2008.[40] He was also picked in the India Emerging Players squad for the four-team Emerging Players Tournament in Australia. He was in fine form in that tournament and scored 206 runs in six matches at an average of 41.20.[41]

International career Early years In August 2008, Kohli was included in the Indian ODI squad for tour of Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Prior to the Sri Lankan tour, Kohli had played only eight List A matches,[42] and his selection was called a "surprise call-up".[43] During the Sri Lankan tour, as both first-choice openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were injured, Kohli batted as a makeshift opener throughout the series. He made his international debut, at the age of 19, in the first ODI of the tour and was dismissed for 12.[44] He made his first ODI half century, a score of 54, in the fourth match which helped India win the series.[44] He had scores of 37, 25 and 31 in the other three matches.[44] India won the series 3–2 which was India's first ODI series win against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.

After the Champions Trophy was postponed to 2009, Kohli was picked as a replacement for the injured Shikhar Dhawan in the India A squad for the unofficial Tests against Australia A in September 2008.[45] He batted only once in the two-match series, and scored 49 in that innings.[46] Later that month in September 2008, he played for Delhi in the Nissar Trophy against SNGPL (winners of Quaid-i-Azam Trophy from Pakistan) and top-scored for Delhi in both innings, with 52 and 197. The match was drawn but SNGPL won the trophy on first-innings lead.[47] In October 2008, Kohli played for Indian Board President's XI in a four-day tour match against Australia. He made 105 and 16* in that match against a bowling line-up consisting of Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Jason Krejza.[48]

Kohli was included in the squad for the home ODI series against England in November 2008 but was not given a chance to play, due to the inclusion of Tendulkar and Sehwag in team.[49] In December 2008, Kohli was given a Grade D contract in the annual BCCI contracts list which entitled him to receive Rs 15 lakh.[50] He was then dropped from the squad for the five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka against Sri Lanka in January 2009.

Kohli was selected in the four-team Emerging Players Tournament in July–August 2009 held in Australia. He opened the innings for India Emerging Players in that tournament and finished as the leading run-getter with 398 runs from seven matches at an average of 66.33.[51] He scored 104 off 102 balls in the final against South Africa Emerging Players at Brisbane to help his team win the match by 17 runs and clinch the title.[52] At the conclusion of the tournament, Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of the national selection committee, was impressed with Kohli and remarked "I must say, opener Virat Kohli was outstanding. Some of the shots he played spoke about his ability."[53] Kohli has called this tournament as the "turning point" of his career.[54]

Kohli then replaced the injured Gambhir in Indian squad for the tri-series in Sri Lanka.[55] Kohli batted at number 4 for India in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy because of the injury to Yuvraj Singh. In the inconsequential group match against the West Indies, Kohli scored an unbeaten 79 in India's successful chase of 130 and won his first man of the match award.[56] Kohli played as a reserve batsman in the seven-match home ODI series against Australia, appearing in two matches as a replacement for the injured players Yuvraj and Gambhir. Kohli found a place in the home ODI series against Sri Lanka in December 2009. He scored 27 and 54 in the first two ODIs before making way for Yuvraj who regained fitness for the third ODI. However, Yuvraj's finger injury recurred leading to him being ruled out indefinitely.[57] Kohli returned to the team in the fourth ODI at Kolkata and scored his first ODI century–107 off 111 balls–sharing a 224-run partnership for the third wicket with Gambhir who made his personal best score of 150. India won by seven wickets to seal the series 3–1.[44] The man of the match was awarded to Gambhir who gave the award to Kohli.[58]

Tendulkar was rested for the tri-nation ODI tournament in Bangladesh in January 2010 which enabled Kohli to play in each of India's five matches. Against Bangladesh, he scored 91 to help secure a win after India collapsed to 51/3 early in their run-chase of 297.[44] In the next match against Sri Lanka, Kohli ended unbeaten on 71 to help India win the match with a bonus point having chased down their target of 214 within 33 overs. The next day, he scored his second ODI century, against Bangladesh, bringing up the mark with the winning runs.[59] He became only the third Indian batsman to score two ODI centuries before their 22nd birthday, after Tendulkar and Suresh Raina.[60] Kohli was much praised for his performances during the series[54][61] in particular by the Indian captain Dhoni.[62] Although Kohli made only two runs in the final against Sri Lanka in a four-wicket Indian defeat,[44] he finished as the leading run-getter of the series with 275 runs from five innings at an average of 91.66.[63] In the three-match ODI series at home against South Africa in February, Kohli batted in two games and had scores of 31 and 57.[44]

Rise through the ranks Raina was named captain and Kohli vice-captain for the tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe in May–June 2010, as many first-choice players skipped the tour. Kohli made 168 runs at 42.00 including two fifties,[64] but India suffered three defeats in four matches and crashed out of the series. During the series, Kohli became the fastest Indian batsman to reach 1,000 runs in ODI cricket.[65] He made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe at Harare and scored an unbeaten 26.[66] Later that month, Kohli batted at 3 in a full-strength Indian team throughout the 2010 Asia Cup and scored a total of 67 runs at an average of 16.75.[67] His struggles with form continued in the tri-series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Sri Lanka where he averaged 15.

Kohli batting in an ODI against New Zealand in December 2010. Despite the poor run of form, Kohli was retained in the ODI squad for a three-match series against Australia in October, and in the only completed match of the series at Visakhapatnam, scored his third ODI century–118 off 121 balls–which helped India reach the target of 290 after losing the openers early.[68] Winning the man of the match, he admitted that he was under pressure to keep his place in the team after failures in the two previous series.[69] Part of a largely inexperienced team for the home ODI series against New Zealand, Kohli scored a match-winning 104-ball 105, his fourth ODI hundred and second in succession, in the first game,[70] and followed it up with 64 and 63* in the next two matches.[44] India completed a 5–0 whitewash of New Zealand, while Kohli's performance in the series helped him become a regular in the ODI team[71] and made him a strong contender for a spot in India's World Cup squad.[72] He was India's leading run-scorer in ODIs in 2010, with 995 runs from 25 matches at an average of 47.38 including three centuries.[73]

Kohli was India's leading run-getter in the five match ODI series of the South African tour in January 2011, with 193 runs at an average of 48.25 including two fifties, both in Indian defeats.[74] During the series, he jumped to number two spot on the ICC Rankings for ODI batsmen,[75] and was named in India's 15-man squad for the World Cup.[76] The inclusion of both Kohli and Raina in the World Cup squad resulted in speculations about which of the two batsmen will make it to the playing eleven. Days before India's first match of the tournament, Indian captain Dhoni indicated that the in-form Kohli is likely to be preferred over Raina.[75]

Kohli played in every match of India's successful World Cup campaign. He scored an unbeaten 100, his fifth ODI century, in the first match against Bangladesh and became the first Indian batsman to score a century on World Cup debut.[77] In the next four group matches he had low scores of 8, 34, 12 and 1 against England, Ireland, Netherlands and South Africa respectively. He returned to form against West Indies with 59, in a 122-run third-wicket partnership with Yuvraj Singh.[44] Against Australia in the quarterfinals, he scored 24, and was dismissed for 9 in the semifinal against Pakistan.[44] In the final against Sri Lanka at Mumbai, he scored 35, sharing an 83-run partnership with Gambhir for the third wicket after India had lost both openers within the seventh over chasing 275.[78] This partnership is regarded as "one of the turning points in the match",[79] as India went on to win the match by six wickets and lift the World Cup for the first time since 1983.[80]

Kohli fielding during a match in December 2010. When India toured the West Indies in June–July 2011, they chose a largely inexperienced squad, r