New Delhi: On this day 16 years ago, 19-year-old Virat Kohli made his international debut for India in what was the start of a remarkable career. One of India’s best batters of all time, Kohli is arguably a modern-day great, who continues to scale new heights in his career with his incredible consistency and batting prowess.
A batter par excellence, Kohli has been one of India’s most prolific run-getters across formats and is currently the second-highest run-getter for the country in ODIs behind only the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli also has the most number of centuries to his name among all active batters with a staggering 80 tons under his belt.
He is only 21 short of breaking Tendulkar’s unreal record of 100 tons in international cricket. Kohli became the first man to complete 50 centuries during the 2023 ODI World Cup last year, surpassing Tendulkar, who finished his career with 49 centuries in the 50-over format. A run machine, Kohli has been shattering records one after another and there is no stopping the juggernaut.
It all started when Kohli first tip-toed on the international stage for India in an ODI against Sri Lanka in Dambulla on August 18, 2008. Kohli on Saturday completed 16 years in international cricket for India. It has been an extraordinary journey for the former India captain, who made his debut as a prodigious talent and has gone on to become one of the greats of the game.
How did Virat Kohli fare on his India debut?
Virat Kohli, who usually bats and no.3 or 4, made his debut as an opener for India in the Dambulla ODI against Sri Lanka in 2008. He opened the batting with former India batter and current India head coach Gautam Gambhir. India lost Gambhir on the second ball of their innings as the left-hander was dismissed on a duck.
The onus fell on Kohli to help India stage a fightback. However, he failed to capitalise and was dismissed on 12 off 22 balls. Kohli was trapped lbw by former Sri Lanka pacer Nuwan Kulasekara. India were bowled out for a paltry 146 runs in the ODI with Yuvraj Singh top-scoring with 23 off 30 balls.
Sri Lanka went on to win the game by 8 wickets after chasing down the target of 147 runs with 91 balls to spare. Kohli made his debut for India under the captaincy of the legendary MS Dhoni. It was Dhoni who backed Kohli to the hilt and stuck with him during his rough patched to play a vital role in making him the player that he is today.
Kohli, who has always acknowledged Dhoni’s contributions in his career, continues to enjoy a great bond with the former India captain even 4 years after he retired from international cricket. Kohli took over from Dhoni as India’s Test captain in 2014 and later also replaced him as India’s white-ball captain in 2017.
As Virat Kohli completes 16 years in international cricket, here is a look at how he fared on his debut for India. Kohli made his India debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka in Dambulla. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
