This Day That Year: Virat Kohli Made His International Debut Against Sri Lanka in 2008
On this day (August 18) in 2008, Virat Kohli made his debut in international cricket. The current Indian skipper couldn’t prove his mettle straightway as he was dismissed for just 18 in his maiden ODI innings against Sri Lanka. However, the Delhi-born cricketer worked hard on his game, and the result is in front of the whole world.
August 18 will go down as one of the most significant dates in World cricket and on this day in 2008, Virat Kohli made his debut in international cricket. The current Indian skipper couldn’t prove his mettle straightway as he was dismissed for just 18 in his maiden ODI innings against Sri Lanka. However, the Delhi-born cricketer worked hard on his game, and the result is in front of the whole world. Be it Test, ODI or T20I, the right-handed batsman stamped his authority in all the formats of the game and his numbers are nothing less than incredible. Virat Kohli Fans Storm Twitter Ahead of Indian Cricket Team Captain's 12th Anniversary in International Cricket, Trend #12YearsOfViratKohli.
Speaking of his international debut, Kohli, the 2008 Under-19 World Cup-winning captain, was picked for India’s 2008 tour of Sri Lanka. Veteran Indian opener Virender Sehwag got injured ahead of the first game, and Kohli received his maiden ODI cap. Despite being a specialist middle-order player, the youngster opened the Indian innings in that game. However, Kohli found it difficult to put the bat on ball as Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekara were breathing fire with the new ball. Virat Kohli Picks Two Incidents to Pay Heartfelt Tribute to 'Selfless' MS Dhoni, Says 'Thank You Skipper.'
He smashed a classical boundary but fell prey to Kulasekara after scoring just 12 runs. The Men in Blue got bundled for 146 runs and eventually lost the match by eight wickets. However, a great career went underway.
The youngster worked hard on his game and soon became a regular member of India’s white-ball team. Despite the presence of giants like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh, Kohli managed to make a name for himself. He delivered consistently and became a formidable force in World cricket.
His aggressive nature and on-field behaviour received a lot of bashing early on his career. However, the star batsman got mature with time and converted his critics into his supporters. The right-handed batsman was already doing well in his career. However, his appetite for success pushed him to greater heights.
After a dismal performance in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2012, Kohli didn’t just work on his fitness but brought a revolution too. Not just the Indian cricket team, the whole nation was inspired by Kohli’s determination to be fit. His hard-work reflected on his performance as India registered one magnificent triumph after another.
After becoming a batting stalwart, Kohli had the onus of becoming a great captain too. After MS Dhoni stepped down as captain, the Delhi-born cricketer got the reins of the team, and he didn’t fail to deliver in this department also.
Under his leadership, India won ODI series in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. In fact, Kohli also became the first Asian captain to win a Test series on Australian soil. Well, the legendary cricketer has already added many feathers to his already illustrious hat. However, many glorious chapters are yet to be written in his tale.
The dashing batsman will next be seen in action during the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he’ll look to guide Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to their maiden title. IPL 2020 will get underway on September 19 in UAE.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 18, 2020 12:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).