Virat Kohli's Life Story: Struggles, Discipline and Wealth
18 saal ki umar mein pita gaye, aur Virat agli subah batting karne gaya. Uske baad bhi bura waqt aaya — 2014 mein runs nahi bane, man andar se toot gaya, phir 1,021 din tak ek bhi century nahi. Par har baar usne wahi kiya: kamzori pakdi, roz mehnat ki, sharir ka dhyan rakha, zaroorat padi to ruk kar saans li — aur jo kamaya use sirf kharcha nahi kiya, business aur assets mein lagaya.
Delhi, December 2006. An 18-year-old boy is batting for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka. His team is in trouble. At the end of the day, he is not out.
Early the next morning, his father dies.
Most people would go home. Nobody would blame them. This boy goes to the ground, pads up and walks out to bat. He scores 90 runs and helps save his team. Then he leaves for his father's funeral.
That boy was Virat Kohli.
Today, he is one of the most famous sportsmen in the world, and one of the richest. But his story is not a straight line up. It is full of loss, bad years, dark thoughts and hard comebacks. That is exactly why it is worth reading.
A normal Delhi boy with a bat
Virat Kohli was born on 5 November 1988 in Delhi. His father, Prem Kohli, was a criminal lawyer. His mother, Saroj, looked after the home. It was a middle-class family, not a rich one.
When Virat was nine, his father took him to a new cricket academy in West Delhi, run by coach Rajkumar Sharma. His father drove him to practice and believed in him before anyone else did.
That is why December 2006 hurt so much. The person who had carried his dream was suddenly gone. Kohli has said that this loss made him grow up overnight. From that day, he played for his father's dream as much as his own.
"He did not wait until he felt better. He turned his pain into purpose."
The rise, the fall, and the rise again
- 1998Joins the West Delhi Cricket Academy at age nine.
- 2006His father dies during his Ranji Trophy match. He bats the next morning and scores 90.
- 2008Captains India to victory in the Under-19 World Cup. Makes his one-day debut for India the same year.
- 2011Part of the team that wins the World Cup at home.
- 2014A terrible tour of England. He averages about 13 in the Test series. Later he says he went through depression at that time and felt like the loneliest person in the world.
- 2014–15Reworks his technique, trains harder than ever, and becomes India's Test captain.
- 2018Changes his diet completely to protect his back and his body. Becomes known as one of the fittest cricketers in the world.
- 2019–22No international century for 1,021 days. People say he is finished. He steps down as captain.
- 2022After a break of several weeks, he returns and scores an unbeaten 122 against Afghanistan. The drought is over.
- 2023Scores his 50th one-day century, the most ever, and 765 runs in the World Cup, the most by anyone in a single World Cup.
- 2024Player of the Match in the T20 World Cup final as India wins. He retires from T20 internationals that night.
- 2025Wins the Champions Trophy with India and his first IPL title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, after 18 years with the same team. Retires from Test cricket.
Three dark periods, and what he did in each
Every big life has low points. What matters is what you do inside them. Kohli had three.
| Dark period | What went wrong | What he did |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 Father's death | Lost his biggest supporter at 18 | Kept his commitment to the team and made his father's dream his own |
| 2014 England tour | Could not score, felt alone and depressed | Admitted the problem, fixed his technique, and later spoke openly about mental health |
| 2019–22 Century drought | Years of "failure", heavy criticism, lost captaincy | Took a proper break, came back calm instead of desperate, and started scoring again |
How he turned cricket money into lasting wealth
This is the part most people skip, and it is the most useful for our goal of financial freedom.
A sports career is short. Injury, age or form can end it anytime. Kohli seems to have understood this early. Instead of living only on his cricket salary, he started to build things that can earn without him on the field:
- His own brands. The clothing brand WROGN and the lifestyle brand One8, which he runs in partnership with bigger companies.
- Businesses you can visit. A restaurant chain and fitness centres.
- Start-up investments. Small stakes in several young companies, including in insurance and fitness.
- Long-term deals. In 2017 he signed an eight-year deal with Puma, reported to be worth over 100 crore rupees, the first of its size for an Indian athlete.
Look at the pattern. Salary (match fees) → fame (endorsements) → assets (companies he owns). The first stops when he stops playing. The last can keep paying for decades.
You and I do not have his fame. But the pattern works at every size. Turn part of what you earn into something you own. Our post on turning small savings into assets shows how to start with small amounts.
7 lessons you can use, even if you never touch a bat
Keep your word, even on your worst day. In 2006 he had every reason not to bat. He showed up anyway. People trust those who show up.
Do this: Pick one promise you made to yourself. Do it today, even if only for ten minutes.
Failure shows you your weak point. England 2014 exposed a weakness in his technique. He did not blame the pitch. He fixed it.
Do this: Think of your last failure, at work or with money. Write one sentence: "The real weak point was…"
Your body is your first business. He changed his diet and training when his body started to complain. Without health, no plan works.
Do this: Add one daily walk or one glass of water before each meal. Small, but every day.
It is strong to ask for help. He spoke about depression when many men stay silent. If you feel low for a long time, talk to someone you trust or a doctor. That is not weakness. That is the first step back.
Do this: Tell one person how you really feel this week.
Rest is part of the work. The drought ended after he stepped away. Pushing harder is not always the answer.
Do this: Plan one real day off this month, with no phone for work.
Loyalty and patience pay off late. He waited 18 years with one IPL team for a title. Many would have left. Big results often come long after people stop believing.
Do this: Read Ten Quiet Years about the power of staying with one plan.
Income is not wealth. Ownership is. Fame paid him once. The brands he owns can pay him again and again.
Do this: Find your target with the freedom number calculator, then read why a salary never makes you free.
What this story does not tell you
- His talent is extremely rare. Millions of children play cricket. Only a handful reach the top. Please do not drop your studies or your job to chase one sport with no back-up plan. Use his habits, not his exact path.
- He had support. A father who drove him to practice, a good coach, and later a strong partner at home. Nobody climbs alone. If you do not have that support, look for it: a mentor, a friend, a group.
- Most of his wealth came because of fame. Endorsements depend on being famous, which most of us will never be. The part you can copy is the move from income to ownership, not the size.
- He has had bad days in public too. He is known for his temper on the field, and he has been criticised for it. Success does not make anyone perfect.
Apni zindagi ka ek "2014" socho — woh waqt jab sab galat ja raha tha. Kaagaz par likho: kamzori kya thi, aur usse kya seekha. Phir ek chhota kadam likho jo tum is hafte uthaoge. Virat ne bhi yahi kiya — pehle maana, phir sudhara, phir roz mehnat ki.
Frequently asked questions
What happened when Virat Kohli's father died?
His father, Prem Kohli, died in December 2006, while 18-year-old Virat was in the middle of a Ranji Trophy match for Delhi against Karnataka. He went back to bat that morning, scored 90 to help his team, and then went to his father's funeral.
How long was Virat Kohli's century drought?
Kohli went 1,021 days without an international century, from November 2019 until September 2022, when he scored an unbeaten 122 against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup. Before that, he had taken a break of several weeks and said he had not realised how mentally and physically tired he was.
Did Virat Kohli suffer from depression?
Kohli has said publicly that during the 2014 tour of England, when he scored very few runs, he went through a period of depression and felt deeply alone even with people around him. He has encouraged people to seek professional help and talk openly.
How does Virat Kohli make money apart from cricket?
Besides his cricket income, he earns from brand endorsements and owns or co-owns businesses such as the clothing brand WROGN, the lifestyle brand One8, a restaurant chain and fitness centres. He has also invested in several start-ups.
What can ordinary people learn from Virat Kohli?
Daily discipline, taking care of your body, working on your weak points after failure, asking for help when you are low, and turning income into assets. You do not need his talent to use these habits in your own life.