Virat Kohli Completes 15 Years In International Cricket. A Look Back At The Journey

18.08.2023 - 04:21 sports.ndtv.com

On this day in 2008, young Virat Kohli first entered the international arena, making his debut against Sri Lanka in an ODI match.

Just a few months prior to the Sri Lanka series, Virat had just etched his name in history books by leading India to the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup trophy and just like a lot of U19 captains in the past, had made a strong case for donning the Indian cap in future, scoring 235 runs in six matches at an average of 47.00, with one century against West Indies in group stages.

Virat along with fellow Delhi teammate Gautam Gambhir opened the batting against Sri Lanka and could score just 12 runs. The youngster ended his first series with decent numbers, scoring 159 runs in five matches at an average of 31.80, getting his first fifty in the fifth ODI.

While many knew that Virat was destined for international success based on his talent and U19 success, the level of success he would go on to achieve in years to come was just unbelievable even for his die-hard followers.

cricket India Cricket Team Joe Root Steve Smith Virat Kohli Gautam Gambhir Australia New Zealand India Sri Lanka county Kane

Veteran Indian cricket team spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has supported former head coach Ravi Shastri's suggestion that star batter Virat Kohli can end up batting at No. 4 if the team composition demands for it. Questions remain over the No. 4 batting position ahead of ICC World Cup 2023 with both KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer both recovering from injuries and Tilak Varma making a name for himself with brilliant knocks against West Indies. Ashwin said that apart from Kohli, India can end up playing a left-hander in the position or experiment with wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan.

Virat Kohli Looks Dapper During The Launch Of Audi Q8 E-Tron Car In Mumbai. See Pics

Virat Kohli is one of the most popular cricketers ever. On Friday, he completed 15 years in international cricket. So far, Kohli has smashed 25,582 runs in international cricket in 501 appearances. For the record, 13,748 of his runs have been made by taking singles and converting them into twos and threes. He has run a total distance of 276.57 kilometres between the wickets throughout his career. Apart from his on-field exploits, Kohli also one of the most popular faces when it comes to brand endorsements. Recently, h was seen at the launch of the Audi Q8 E-Tron car in Mumbai. He looked dapper in black suit.

Jay Shah Praises Virat Kohli On Completing 15 Years In International Cricket

India batter Virat Kohli on Friday completed 15 years in international cricket. The date was August 18, 2008 when a young Kohli first entered the international arena, making his debut against Sri Lanka in an ODI match. He got his India senior cap only after leading the under 19 team to the World Cup trophy months back. What followed was an illustrious career that continues to blossom. On Kohli's special day, Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Jay Shah took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to congratulate the batter on his "unwavering commitment to international cricket".

Virat Kohil's 2-Word Post As He Completes 15 Years In International Cricket

As he completed 15 years in international cricket, star India batter Virat Kohli expressed delight on achieving the milestone with a two-word post on Instagram. On 18th August 2008, Kohli, aged 19 years and 287 days, made his International debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka in Dambulla. He opened the batting for the team, making him the youngest Indian to open on men's ODI debut, a record that still stands to date. He, however, did not have the best of debuts as he was dismissed on 12 off 22 balls.

Jay Shah Praises Virat Kohli On Completing 15 Years In International Cricket

Can You Guess How Much Virat Kohli Ran Between Wickets In 15 years? Report Says...

Arguably the greatest batter of his generation, Virat Kohli is a name that needs no introduction in the global sporting arena. Be it on social media or cricketing venues across the world, the number of fans who gather together to get a glimpse of the talismanic batter is huge. Though Kohli is known to pierce through gaps between fields effortlessly, he has an even bigger reputation for his fiery running between the wickets. The man who exemplifies fitness in the Gentleman's Game is known to push both his teammates and fielders on the field in his bid to convert ones into two and twos into threes. In fact, a report has revealed how much distance Kohli has covered over the years only by his running between the wickets.