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India National Cricket Team superstar Virat Kohli is celebrating his 38th birthday today on Thursday, November 5, 2026. Kohli’s journey has been nothing short of remarkable, from leading India to the Under-19 World Cup title as a teenager to becoming one of the greatest batters in international cricket.
Over the years, the dashing right-hander gave us many unforgettable performances and established himself as one of the most successful batters the game has ever known. Amid this, Jacob Duffy reveals what makes Virat Kohli so difficult to bowl to.
Virat Kohli picks his greatest ODI innings in special video
On the special occasion of his birthday, Star Sports shared a special video on X in which Virat Kohli was asked to pick the best ODI innings of his career.
The broadcaster presented him with a series of memorable knocks and asked him to choose one between two performances. Interestingly, the former India captain holds a special fondness for his 2011 ODI World Cup final knock against Sri Lanka.
During the special birthday video, Kohli was first asked to choose between his unbeaten 133-run knock against Sri Lanka in Hobart in 2012 and his 35-run innings against the same team in the 2011 ODI World Cup.
Surprisingly, the dashing right-hander picked the 35-run knock that played a key role in India’s historic ICC ODI World Cup glory at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai after 28 years under MS Dhoni’s captaincy.
Virat Kohli picks 43-run ICC Champions Trophy knock over 35-run knock against Sri Lanka
Kohli continued to back the same innings when asked to choose between the 35-run knock against Sri Lanka and his 85-run knock against Australia in Chennai during the 2023 World Cup.
Kohli also preferred his 2011 World Cup final knock over his brilliant 122-run innings against England in Pune in 2017 and his 160-run performance against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018.
However, the right-handed batter’s choice changed when he was asked to compare the 35-run knock against Sri Lanka with his 43-run innings against England in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy in Birmingham. Kohli picked his Champions Trophy performance against England.
The former India captain continued to pick that 43-run knock when it was compared with some of his biggest ODI performances. Kohli preferred his Birmingham knock over his famous 183-run innings against Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup in Mirpur.
Virat Kohli picks his favourite ODI innings
Kohli also chose the same 43-run performance over his 138-run knock against South Africa in Chennai and his 107-run innings against Pakistan during the 2015 ODI World Cup in Adelaide. So, it was his 43-run innings against England in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy in Birmingham that was his best ODI innings that were thrown at him during the special segment.
Overall, Kohli’s 35-run contribution against Sri Lanka in the 2011 World Cup and the 43-run knock against England in the 2013 Champions Trophy emerged as his two most preferred performances in the birthday challenge. He is currently in New Zealand for the five-match ODI series. He smashed a stunning fifty in the first ODI, helping India to win the game by 5 wickets.
Birthday special! 😍 Over the years, #ViratKohli has played countless iconic innings, but which one comes out on top? Find out! 📹 Watch him soon in #INDvSL 3-match ODI series 👉 Starts 13th DEC https://t.co/ookEDInLNc
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 5, 2026
