3 Records Virat Kohli couldn’t break in his T20I career

Virat Kohli stands tall as one of the greatest cricketers across all formats. In Tests, he led India to remarkable heights with his aggressive captaincy and consistent run-scoring. His contributions in the longest format were monumental, both as a leader and a batter.

In T20Is, Kohli left a mark with his exceptional performances and consistency. His experience and calm under pressure were instrumental in India’s triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup, completing his ICC trophy cabinet with wins in the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2013 Champions Trophy, and the 2025 edition. Despite his stellar T20I career, there were a few milestones that remained just out of reach.

Here are three records that Kohli could not break during his career in T20 Internationals.

Three records Virat Kohli couldn’t break in his T20I career:

1. Most Sixes

Virat Kohli was renowned for his exceptional timing, often better than most other batters in this regard. He would not rely on brute force, but used precision to find the gaps.

In T20 Internationals, he struck 124 sixes in 117 innings, which is an impressive tally but far behind Rohit Sharma, who tops the chart with 205 sixes. Kohli’s approach often favoured well-placed boundaries over big sixes, which shows his technique to build an innings without relying heavily on muscle.

2. Most Centuries

The right-handed batter, Kohli, registered just one T20I century during his international career, a knock of 122* against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup. Despite scoring multiple centuries in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he could not quite replicate that feat in India’s T20I setup.

In contrast, big hitters like Glenn Maxwell and Rohit Sharma lead the T20I century charts with five centuries each. While Kohli remained a pillar of consistency, converting starts into triple figures in T20Is proved tough more often than not.

3. No ICC Title as captain

Kohli took over as India’s Test captain in 2014 and gradually evolved into a leader, and is known for his leadership-from-the-front approach. Under his captaincy, India reached new heights in Test cricket, including historic overseas victories.

But his time as T20I captain had its setbacks. In the 2021 T20 World Cup held in Dubai, the veteran led the Indian squad, but the team fell short in the group stage by losing two out of five matches and failing to qualify for the knockout round. Though Kohli ended his career with four ICC trophies, he did not clinch an ICC title while leading the team.