King Kohli turns 38: No one has broken his record of 10 biggest ICC awards
The former captain has won all 3 ICC titles - World Cup, Champions Trophy & T20 World Cup - and holds a record 10 major ICC honours including Cricketer of the Decade
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The modern-day superstar of Indian cricket and former captain Virat Kohli is celebrating his 38th birthday today on 5th November 2026. Virat Kohli, who is on a tour of New Zealand with Team India, celebrated his birthday before India due to time zone difference. Teammates celebrated Kohli's birthday after the first ODI between India and New Zealand. In his international career spanning over a decade and a half, Kohli has not only set a slew of records but is also firmly placed among the select few greatest cricketers in the world, having won all three major ICC titles - ICC ODI World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy and ICC T20 World Cup.
Started in 2012, created historic 'hat-trick' record in 2018
Virat Kohli's dominance in the International Cricket Council (ICC) individual awards began in 2012 when he was named the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year for the first time. Subsequently, in 2017, he achieved the double title of ODI Cricketer of the Year along with the main ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy). The year 2018 proved to be the golden year of Kohli's career when he created history by setting an unprecedented record of winning three major ICC awards - ICC Test Cricketer of the Year, ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year and ICC Cricketer of the Year - in a single calendar year.
"Spirit of Cricket" in 2019 and "Player of the Decade" in 2020
Along with his aggressive on-field performance, Virat also exemplified sportsmanship, earning him the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award in 2019. This incident occurred during the 2019 ODI World Cup, when Indian fans were booing Australian legend Steve Smith, who was returning to the side after the ball-tampering controversy. While batting, Kohli gestured to the crowd and urged them to stop the booing and encourage Smith. Subsequently, in 2020, the ICC awarded him the highest honors of ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade and ICC ODI Cricketer of the Decade for his outstanding performances across the decade (2011-2020). Following his historic performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup, he was named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year for the fourth time.
Virat Kohli holds 10 major ICC honours
Virat Kohli's trophy cabinet boasts 10 major ICC awards. These include the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2012, the ICC Cricketer of the Year and ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2017, the historic triple honour in 2018 (Test Cricketer of the Year, ODI Cricketer of the Year and Key Cricketer of the Year), the Spirit of Cricket Award in 2019, the ICC Cricketer of the Decade and ODI Cricketer of the Decade announced in 2020, and the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award in 2023. With these unparalleled achievements, Virat Kohli holds the distinction of being among the all-time winners of the most individual ICC honours in the history of international cricket.