Virat Kohli turns 38 today, 5 November 2026, and he arrives at his birthday in the form that made him famous.
At Eden Park in Auckland on Tuesday, 4 November, he scored 74 off 51 balls in the first ODI against New Zealand.
India won by five wickets by DLS, chasing a revised target of 143 in 32 overs after New Zealand had made 185.
During the chase, Kohli passed Sachin Tendulkar for most ODI runs in run chases, reaching 8,741 against Tendulkar’s 8,720.
He also became the first batter to reach 13,000 ODI runs batting at No. 3, and he equalled Ricky Ponting’s 1,971 ODI runs against New Zealand.
After the match, he was presented with a birthday cake at Eden Park. The second ODI is in Wellington on Saturday, 7 November 2026. 🎂
A birthday cake after a match-winning chase is a fitting image for a player who has always timed his runs to the moment.
For India, the win also kept momentum in the series, with Wellington next and a birthday still to celebrate on the road.
Then: The Delhi boy who would not wait
Born on 5 November 1988 in Delhi, Kohli joined the West Delhi Cricket Academy in 1998 and quickly stood out for his hunger for runs.
Like Endrick, he was a teenage prodigy who did not wait for permission to lead.
He captained India to the 2008 ICC Under-19 World Cup title in Malaysia, a first sign of the captain he would become.
His senior ODI debut came on 18 August 2008 against Sri Lanka, and his Test debut followed on 20 June 2011 against West Indies.
The early team honours arrived fast: he was part of India’s 2011 Cricket World Cup-winning side and the 2013 Champions Trophy-winning side.
Delhi cricket in the late 1990s was crowded with talent, and Kohli’s way through it was simple: score more, and score faster, than everyone else.
That approach carried him from age-group cricket to the Under-19 captaincy, and from there straight into senior international cricket.
Dee03, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
That early success was built on an appetite for chasing targets, a trait that still defines his ODI game in 2026.
Now: Still scoring at 38
Kohli retired from T20 internationals after the 2024 T20 World Cup final, and he retired from Tests in May 2025.
His Test record closed at 123 matches, 9,230 runs and 30 centuries, a reminder of how long he carried India’s batting.
He remains active in ODIs in 2026, and he has spent his whole IPL career with Royal Challengers Bengaluru since 2008.
The 2024 T20 World Cup win was a fitting T20 farewell: he was Player of the Match in the final, scoring 76 against South Africa.
India added the 2025 Champions Trophy to that list, keeping Kohli at the centre of major finals well into his thirties.
In ODIs, his game has adapted without losing its core: quick running, sharp placement, and a calm head when the required rate climbs.
The Eden Park innings showed all three, with 13 fours and one six in a 51-ball knock that never looked hurried.
Prime Minister’s Office, Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India
By his 5 November 2026 birthday coverage, he had 55 ODI centuries and 86 international centuries, second only to Tendulkar.
He had also passed 15,000 ODI runs, reaching the mark with an unbeaten 139 against West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram in September 2026.
That longevity puts him alongside record-chasing modern greats such as Harry Kane, whose careers are built on relentless scoring.
It also places him in the company of all-time greats such as Lionel Messi, who turned early brilliance into two decades at the top.
If Wellington brings another fifty, it will simply add to a birthday week that already feels like a celebration of longevity.
At 38, Kohli is no longer the Delhi boy chasing a dream. He is the standard younger players chase, still scoring, still celebrating, still hungry.