Virat Kohli's 14 years of international cricket: Reliving his three best years in ODIs

Despite not being in the best of form right now, Virat Kohli has ascertained that he has continuously topped the run charts across all formats over the past decade.

Today (August 18), the former Indian skipper marks a vital accomplishment as he completes his 14 years in international cricket.

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

So far, the Delhi-born batter has amassed 23,726 runs in 463 international encounters. This includes a ridiculous number of half-centuries (122) and 70 decorated centuries as well.

On the occasion of his 14th anniversary in international cricket, let's take a look at Virat Kohli's three best years in terms of runs in ODIs.

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#3 2019 - 1377 runs

West Indies v India - One Day International Series

It's true that Virat Kohli has struggled with form for some time now, with his last international century coming way back in 2019. His current batting numbers are nowhere close to what he clocked in the years preceding 2019.

In 2019, Kohli mustered 1377 runs in 25 ODI innings, including seven half-centuries and a quintet of tons. He was India's second-highest run-getter in the format that year, with Rohit Sharma scoring 1490 runs.

2019 was also the year of the ICC World Cup. Captaining India in the mega-event, Kohli batted wonderfully well, ending the tournament with 443 runs at an average of 55 in nine games.

Following the heartbreak of the semi-final exit from the 2019 World Cup, Kohli continued to pile up runs as he smashed two consecutive tons against West Indies away from home.

Virat Kohli finished the year with an excellent average of 59.8 and a strike rate of 96.

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#2 2011 - 1381 runs

India v England - 2nd One Day International.

The first World Cup hundred, World Cup winner, Test debut, and maiden Test fifty all came in 2011. It was indeed a special year for Virat Kohli as he took his game to another level.

Kohli was a class apart from every other batter in ODIs, as his 1381 runs were the most by any batter in the world in 2011. The right-hander clobbered eight half-centuries (his most in any calendar year) and four hundreds.

Kohli started the year with some consistent performances in the ODI series in South Africa. He scored a couple of fifties and was dismissed only once in single digits.

Then came the 2011 World Cup, where his effective contributions helped India quite a bit, and his 35 in the final was a very important knock in the context of the game.

He then went on to score ODI hundreds against England (both home and away) and the West Indies. For the first time in his career, he scored more than 1000 ODI runs in a calendar year.

Virat Kohli ended the year with an ODI average of 47.6 and a strike rate of 85.5.

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#1 2017 - 1460 runs

India v Pakistan - ICC Champions Trophy Final

Since 2011, Virat Kohli has led all the batting charts year after year, putting himself miles ahead of all the other batters and establishing himself as a modern-day legend.

Following his spectacular year in 2016, where he scored a staggering 2595 international runs, Kohli continued his ominous form in 2017 and continued to churn out hundreds at will. He scored 11 hundreds across all formats in 2017 and was by far the best batter in the world.

Kohli enjoyed his best year ever in ODIs, amassing a ridiculous 1460 runs in 26 innings. The veteran clobbered seven half-centuries and six hundreds (his most ODI tons in a calendar year) to go past Ricky Ponting’s 30 ODI tons to be ranked second on the list of most ODI tons.

He started the year with a memorable 122 against England, chasing 350 before averaging 129 during the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and scoring 258 runs in the tournament.

Kohli then recorded 574 runs in his next ten ODIs (five against the West Indies and five against Sri Lanka). If one sits down to list the impact knocks Kohli played in 2017, the list will go on and on.

Virat Kohli ended the year with a fantastic white-ball tour of New Zealand, mustering 263 runs in three ODIs.

Unsurprisingly, Kohli mustered 2818 runs across formats that year (most runs by an Indian in any calendar year) and unsurprisingly remained the highest run-getter in international cricket in 2017.