Virat Kohli's 15 years of international cricket: Reliving his 3 best years across formats

Star Indian batter Virat Kohli has achieved a major landmark in his career as he completed 15 years in international cricket on Friday, August 18.

Kohli has been a massive contributor to Indian cricket, spearheading the batting unit and creating a motivating environment in and around the team.

In the recently concluded tour of the West Indies, he also completed 500 international games for India. In total, Kohli has amassed a monumental 25,582 runs at an average of 53.63 in 559 innings across formats for his nation. This includes a ridiculous number of half-centuries (131) and 76 decorated centuries.

On the occasion of his 15th anniversary in international cricket, let's take a look at Virat Kohli's three best years in terms of runs across formats for India.

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#3 2016 - 2,595 runs

Virat Kohli had a dream 2016 T20 World Cup [Getty Images]

We usually associate 2016 with Virat Kohli, courtesy of his mind-boggling IPL season in which he smashed 973 runs. Apart from his heroics for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the star batter also racked up some impressive numbers for Team India.

He started the year with a brilliant white-ball tour of Australia, where he first scored two ODI centuries before notching up three back-to-back fifties in as many T20Is.

The Asia Cup followed next, where Kohli ended up as India's highest run-getter with 153 runs at an average of 76.50. Kohli then came up with a resounding performance at the T20 World Cup, held in India. He almost single-handedly carried his nation to the semi-finals, scoring 273 runs at an incredible average of 136.50.

In Tests, he racked up as many as three double hundreds. A fluent knock of 154* in an ODI against New Zealand also added to his tally.

In total, 2016 saw Kohli amass 2,595 runs at an average of 86.50 for India across formats.

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#2 2018 - 2,735 runs

Australia v India - 3rd Test: Day 2 [Getty Images]

Virat Kohli began 2018 on a breathtaking note as he continued to break records for fun. After top-scoring in a three-match Test series in South Africa with 286 runs, Kohli had a dream ODI series against the Proteas.

In the six-game ODI series, Kohli hammered 558 runs, which included three tons. The tally remains the most a batter has scored in an ODI bilateral.

Five months later, Kohli redeemed himself on English soil, accumulating 593 runs (two centuries) in the five-match Test series.

While the Delhi-born batter rested himself during the Asia Cup, he dished out a man-of-the-series performance against the West Indies by becoming the first-ever Indian to smash three consecutive ODI hundreds.

Although 2018 didn't witness any double centuries from Kohli, he smashed 11 international centuries, which is his joint-most in a single year.

At an average of 68.30, Kohli scored a total of 2,735 runs across 47 innings for India in 2018.

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#1 2017 - 2,818 runs

2017 proved to be Kohli's best year for India [Getty Images]

Since his debut in 2008, Virat Kohli has led the batting charts year after year, putting himself miles ahead of all other batters and establishing himself as a modern-day great.

Following a spectacular 2016, Kohli continued his ominous form in 2017 and continued to churn out hundreds at will. He scored 11 centuries across all formats in 2017 and was by far the best batter in the world.

Even though he only scored two hundreds in the first six months of the year, Kohli was in beast mode during the second half of the year. It all started when he scored a match-winning 111* against the West Indies away from home.

India then toured Sri Lanka for a multi-format series, where Kohli racked up three centuries to help India win every match on the tour. Although he had a middling home series against Australia, he made up for it by smashing three centuries and two double hundreds in the last three months of the year.

Kohli scored 263 runs across three ODIs against New Zealand at home before capping off the year on an awe-inspiring note. As India hosted three Tests against Sri Lanka at home, Kohli batted five times in that series. Amazingly, he accumulated 610 runs at an astounding average of 152.50.

If one sits down to list the impact knocks Kohli played in 2017, the list would go on and on. Kohli mustered 2,818 runs across formats that year (the most runs by an Indian in any calendar year) and, unsurprisingly, was the highest run-getter in international cricket in 2017.