#2019In5Words hails 'Virat Kohli's record-studded year' - ode to Skipper's consistency

It has been a truly sensational decade for the Indian skipper Virat Kohli, as the number of records broken and created by the ace batsman are unreal. And just like every year, 2019 was no different for King Kohli as the captained aced it with the bat in all formats.

No other batsman has dominated all three international formats like Virat Kohli has. Virat Kohli has successfully led India to the No 1 ranking since 2016. Kohli has not only outplayed his peers but also many former cricketers. Let's take a look at the top three records that Virat etched his name in 2019-

READ: VVS Laxman thanks Virat Kohli for fulfilling one of his lifelong dreams

1. First batsman to complete 20,000 international runs in a decade

From 2010 to 2019, Kohli has played 84 Test matches, 227 ODIs and 75 T20Is with scores of 7,202, 11,125, and 2,633 runs respectively. Kohli has aggregated 20,960 runs across three formats. Earlier, Australia's former skipper Ricky Ponting held the record for scoring most international runs in a decade with 18,962 runs to his credit in the 2000s.

In the past decade, Kohli has hoarded 7,202 runs in Tests including 27 hundred, while in the shorter formats the Indian skipper has amassed 11,125 runs in ODIs and 2,633 runs in T20s. Kohli, who averages more than 50 in all formats, has already amassed 70 international hundreds and is only behind Ricky Ponting (71) and Sachin Tendulkar (100).

READ: Virat Kohli and Steve Smith star in our World Test XI of the decade (2010-2019)

2. Highest rating for any Indian batsman in ICC rankings

Virat Kohli maintained his top spot in the latest ICC Test Rankings for batsmen issued on Tuesday. Kohli, who had in the first week of December reclaimed the top spot from Steve Smith, is currently at 928 rating points, the highest rating for any Indian batsman in ICC rankings.

3. Virat Kohli is now India’s most successful captain in Test cricket, going past MS Dhoni’s tally

Virat Kohli is now India’s most successful captain in Test cricket with 33 victories. He went past MS Dhoni’s tally of 27 Test wins with the victory against West Indies in the Kingston Test. In the longer format of the game, Kohli also joined the likes of Stephen Fleming, Alastair Cook and Steve Waugh as only the 4th ever captain to score a century in his 50th game at the helm.

READ: 'Genius' Virat Kohli named in Wisden cricketers of the decade list

READ: Virat Kohli and Steve Smith star in our World Test XI of the decade (2010-2019)