Seventeen years ago, Virat Kohli debuted for India; from early struggles to captaincy, his rise was legendary. Photos/X.
Virat Kohli first stepped onto the international cricket field, seventeen years ago today, on 18th August, 2008, when he made his debut in One Day Internationals (ODIs) for India.
But it was not a fiery beginning. Batting at the top, Kohli scored only 12 runs in his first match. Kohli scored these 12 runs at a very low strike rate, playing 22 balls while staying at the crease for 33 minutes. His wicket was claimed by Sri Lanka’s pacer Nuwan Kulasekara in the eighth over of the innings.
At that time, the Indian team was led by MS Dhoni. The team fought hard to win the match, but they were bowled out for 146, with Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan taking three wickets each. Sri Lanka easily chased down the target while sparing 91 balls and lost only two wickets.
Kohli had to wait 14 games to claim his first century. That came in 2009 against Sri Lanka in Kolkata, the start of his emergence in international cricket.
After his first season, Kohli experienced setbacks and was rested from the team for many series. He made his comeback in the tri-series for Sri Lanka the next year, which involved New Zealand. His first major contribution was later that year in the Champions Trophy against the West Indies, for which his unbeaten 79 paved the way to an easy Indian win.
It was in 2009 when things changed for Kohli. On that day, he scored 107 against Sri Lanka in Kolkata while chasing a big target. Since then, the right-hander cemented his place in white-ball cricket with consistent performances. Year after year, he delivered standout performances.
It was about time that Kohli would play the best format of cricket. Kohli finally debuted in Tests during the West Indies tour of India in 2011. In 2012, he scored a century against Australia in Adelaide, which changed everything for him. It was the game that sowed the seeds of a long career in all formats of the game.
With regular match-winning performances, the Indian cricket board did not have to worry about the future leader of the team. When MS Dhoni stepped down from Test cricket during India’s 2014-15 tour of Australia, it was Kohli who took the reins of the team. And when Dhoni stepped down from ODI cricket in 2017, Kohli was made captain of the limited-overs cricket teams, also thus leading the Indian team in all formats.
Until now, Virat Kohli has played 302 ODI games, making 14,181 runs. He has also played 123 tests and made 9,230 runs.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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