On This Day in 2008: Virat Kohli's international debut for India in an ODI against Sri Lanka

August 18, 2008, was the day when a young Virat Kohli made his international debut for Team India. He made his debut in ODIs against Sri Lanka 16 years ago, and with the clash being his first ODI, India fielded a young side, featuring Rohit Sharma and debutant Kohli. 

India toured Sri Lanka, and the first ODI was held at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, with India batting first. Sri Lanka’s pace attack did a remarkable job of limiting India in the first innings of the game. The visitors were brought down to a score of 36/3 inside the first 12 overs of the game. In the midst of a troubled innings, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli attempted to stabilize the Indian team’s innings. 

Showcasing brilliant technique, Kohli looked set for a memorable debut. However, his knock was cut short quite quickly after Nuwan Kulasekara’s brilliant delivery nipped back in and bamboozled Kohli. As the Sri Lanka players appealed, the umpire quickly raised his finger, and Kohli’s international debut was brought to a close on a score of just 12 runs. Shortly after his subpar debut, Kohli made the most of the chances that he got after that. 

In his next four games, the young batter scored very important runs, including a brilliant fifty. Ever since then, the sky has been the limit for the dynamic player, and 16 years later, Kohli has established himself as one of the greatest batters of all time. 

Over the years, Kohli has dominated every format that he has played. At 35, Kohli has played 295 ODIs, amassed 13,906 runs to his name, and maintained an average of 58.18 runs. Furthermore, he has played 113 Tests for India so far and has scored 8,848 at an average of 49.15. His stats in T20I cricket are excellent as well, with 4,188 runs scored in 125 matches. Kohli continues to inspire the upcoming generation through his excellent performance on and off the field.