Who Saved Virat Kohli Career In Cricket?

Virat Kohli is an Indian cricketer, who is known to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He is a right hand batsman who has played in all the international formats. He has captained the Indian National Team and achieved victory multiple times. He is known to be aggressive on the field. He has also made numerous world records under his name. He was also the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. He has achieved so many things at  a young age and  global popularity around the world. But why is that one question that keeps on lingering in the fan’s mind? What is that one question that fans keep on searching for? The question is Who Saved Virat Kohli’s Career ?

In this article, We will discuss about the question, which is Who Saved Virat Kohli Career In Cricket? in detail.

Virat Kohli: Player Profile

Virat Kohli Early Life & Struggles

• Virat Kohli is known for his great performance on the field and his global presence and achievements. But there was a time when Virat was struggling to make a palace for himself.
• In 2008, When Kohli was still young and stepped into international cricket matches  after leading the under-19 team to the World cup and winning in the same year. During his international matches, he faced constant struggles to make a mark in the Indian National Team.
• People also pointed out that his aggressive attitude though looked cool is putting him in a bad light because of his shots. He was an emerging star that time and he was constantly in the news. 
• Despite his continuous efforts, he still wasn’t able to perform well in the Test Series in 2011. He scored a total 373 runs in 9 Test Match series and his average was 28.7 was below average.
• Fans started questioning his place in the team and his passion towards the sport. It wasn’t a good place to be in. He received the flak from the cricket fans for a long time.  

Australia Tour Fiasco Story

• Virat Kohli received multiple chances to play for India because of his work ethic and talent. He got an opportunity to play in the Test Match series in Australia And this tour was important for him to prove himself to the world that he is here to stay. But he was not ready to see what happened on the tour.

• The Australia Tour became a nightmare for him because every strategy that he might have made was working against him. The Australian bowlers Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle brought out an inconsistent Virat  Kohli out to the world.

• In that match, the pitches were fast and bouncy, the crowds were aggressive which led to his poor performance. In the first two matches, he scored 11 and 23 in Melbourne and then 0 and 9 in Sydney. This made the fans angry with Virat Kohli .
• The newsmedia seemed to have an issue with Virat Kohli for they were constantly putting articles and putting him in the negative limelight. 

Australian Tour Aftermath

After the virat kohli poor performance led the selectors to let go from the third Test Match, which was to be held in Perth. Reports suggest that all the selectors were against Virat Kohli in the team and they wanted Rohit Sharma for the third match. This became one of the lowest points in Kohli’s career. His dream to play in the Indian National Cricket team was slowly crumbling. Fans were doubting his ability to play for India and the media left no stone unturned to make a mockery out of his aggression, talent and everything that he had. 

Who Saved Virat Kohli’s Career?

In the midst of all the negativity around Virat, in came Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain) and Virendra Sehwag(Vice Captain).

They were in favor of keeping Virat Kohli in the team for the third Test Match in Perth. The selectors did not want Virat Kohli because of his poor performances despite multiple chances. But MS Dhoni and Virendra Sehwag remained firm in their decisions. 

Sehawag in his interviews in 2016 has spoken about this incident. He spoke that they both had seen Virat’s desire to prove himself and that he needs to fight for himself. That can only happen when he gets the chance to be in the team. Dhoni defended Virat’s position in the team and spoke about his progress that just needs patience to be seen. Sehwag on the other hand reassured Kohli and motivated him to be mentally strong in these tough times. 

Virat Kohli belief that changed Everything 

Virat Kohli got another chance after MS Dhoni and Virendra Sehwag defended his work ethic and supported him to be in the team. This chance was extremely important to Virat Kohli to not only prove everyone in the world wrong but also show the world that his  team members were not wrong in believing in him. This time, he had to show that he has potential and his aggressive attitude is not here to make him lose but to be his greatest strength. 

The third Test match in Perth was crucial as this was an All or Nothing scenario for him. India lost the third test Match series but Virat impressed everyone because of his performance. He scored 44 runs in the first innings and 75 in the second innings showing his gradual progress to the world. And in the fourth Test Match in Adelaide  he scored 116 in 213 balls announcing himself with maiden Test century.

He finally proved himself to the world that he was here to stay for the long run. Fans cheered for him and the media outlets highlighted Virat Kohli’s achievements. There was only love pouring in for him from all the sides. 

Virat Kohli’s Journey from Struggling Days to be the King Kohli 

This Test series is remembered for all the reasons. From picking on Virat Kohli for his playing style and his work ethic, his poor performance to him impressing everyone in the world with his performance. The world could finally see what the team members saw during his training. A passionate work ethic and his perseverance that made Dhoni and Sehwag believe in him. Virat Kohli has said, “He believed in me when I doubted myself”, this shows that Dhoni not just believed in him but also mentored and guided him through his cricket journey.

Dhoni only stepped down as a captain when he felt that Virat was ready to lead the team. He encouraged him to believe in his instincts and be in the high pressure environment. Sehwag empathized with Virat during his lowest moments and gave him confidence during his training. He told him to keep going and to be focused in the game. 

Virat Kohli Stats

Virat Kohli has kept on rising in his career journey. Whether it is his mindblowing batting performance or his awe-stricking bowling and fielding. Fans love it all and praise Kohli for his attitude and making the Nation Proud.  He has been lovingly named by the fans”King Kohli

Batting Stats

Bowling Stats 

Conclusion

I Hope, Through this blog, user got the answer of the question, which is Who Saved Virat Kohli Career In Cricket?

Refresh Date: November 19, 2025