Only Bowler Who Took A Wicket On 0th Ball: In a T20I match against England in 2011, Virat was bowling to Kevin Pietersen. He ended bowling a wide first ball and Pietersen who was charging down was stumped down the leg-side by MS Dhoni. So, Kohli didn't bowl a single ball in international cricket as his first ball was a wide but since a stumping goes in the account of the bowler, he had a wicket!

Virat Kohli holds one of the most unusual records in cricket history — he is the only player to take a wicket on the “0th ball” of his international bowling career.

This rare incident happened during a T20 International match against England in 2011.

📊 Quick Record Summary

• Player: Virat Kohli
• Format: T20I
• Opponent: England
• Batsman Dismissed: Kevin Pietersen
• Year: 2011
• Unique Record: Wicket on “0th ball”

🤯 How Did Virat Kohli Take a Wicket on the 0th Ball?

In his very first over in international cricket, Kohli bowled a wide delivery to Kevin Pietersen.

• Pietersen stepped out to attack
• He missed the ball completely
• MS Dhoni, standing behind the stumps, completed a quick stumping

👉 Since the delivery was a wide, it did NOT count as a legal ball.
👉 However, the dismissal still counted as a wicket for Kohli.

➡️ Result:
Kohli got a wicket without bowling a single legal delivery

🔥 Why This Record is Unique

• Wickets are usually taken on legal deliveries
• A wide ball is not counted as a valid ball
• Yet, the bowler still gets credit for the wicket

👉 This makes Kohli’s record one of the most bizarre and rare events in cricket history

📊 Bowlers Who Took Wickets on the First Ball of Their Career

While many bowlers have taken wickets on their first legal ball, Kohli is unique because:

👉 His wicket came before his first legal delivery

👉 Others took wickets on the first ball
👉 Kohli did it on the “0th ball”

Notes:
# Kohli's wicket came off his first delivery, which was called a wide.
* Kasprowicz and Ferguson took wickets with the first 2 balls
~ Gavera took wickets with his first and third balls

🧠 What Exactly is a “0th Ball” in Cricket?

A “0th ball” refers to a situation where:

• The delivery is illegal (wide/no-ball)
• The ball does NOT count officially
• But a dismissal still happens

👉 This is extremely rare in international cricket.

📉 Has Anyone Repeated This Record?

As of now, no other player in international cricket has replicated this exact scenario.

👉 Many have taken wickets on their first ball
👉 But none before bowling a legal delivery

🏆 About Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is one of the greatest batsmen in modern cricket:

• Over 25,000+ international runs
• Multiple ICC awards
• Former Indian captain
• Known for consistency and chasing ability

👉 This rare bowling record adds an unusual chapter to his legendary career.

🔗 Related Records (Internal Linking)

👉 You can also explore:

• MS Dhoni fastest to No.1 ICC ranking
• Fastest century in ODI Cricket World Cup
• Virat Kohli bagged the maximum number of Player of the series awards in T20I, 7 times

FAQs

Refer to Best Cricket Records Website ESPNCrickInfo for more such interesting information.

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