Virat Kohli had made his India ODI debut on August 18, 2008 against Sri Lanka.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah shared a special wish for former India captain Virat Kohli, who completed 16 years in international cricket on August 18.
It was on this day in 2008, an 18-year-old Virat Kohli made his India ODI debut against Sri Lanka. The match was played in Dambulla in Sri Lanka and Kohli scored 12 runs as an opener, before getting out to Nuwan Kulasekara.
Since then, Virat Kohli has transformed into one of the modern-day greats of the game. He has around 14000 runs in one-day internationals and nearly 9000 in Test cricket. In ODIs, he has already eclipsed Sachin Tendulkar in terms of hundreds. Kohli has 50 hundreds and 72 fifties to his credit in the 50-over format.
In T20Is, he has 4188 runs in 125 games at an average of 48.69. He has hit some of his finest shots in this format. The 35-year-old retired from Twenty20 Internationals after helping India win the T20 World Cup 2024 with a match-winning performance in the final.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah took to social media to celebrate star batter and former captain Virat Kohli on completing 16 years in international cricket.
Jay Shah posted: “16 years ago today, a 19-year-old Virat Kohli stepped onto the international stage for the first time, marking the beginning of what has become a truly legendary career. Congratulations to the King on completing 16 years in international cricket!”
Earlier, Star Sports had shared a series of videos celebrating Virat Kohli’s 16 years in international cricket and it featured several India cricketers including current ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Rohit Sharma said in a video shared by Star Sports on X: “We all know that his hunger and his passion are unmatchable. Every time you see him, he comes out with different energy all the time. So many things that he brings to the table, to the team. His experience—I mean, so many games he's played for India.”
Rohit further said, “You cannot just go and buy those games in the market. It happens through the struggles, through the tough situations. And all of that. So, yeah, I mean, I wish him the best. Every time we see him, you know, his game seems to be at a different level.”
On the other hand, Gautam Gambhir, who was Kohli’s opening partner on his ODI debut 16 years ago, lauded the cricketer for his passion for the sport.
"When he made his debut in Sri Lanka and played his first ODI, I remember he had got out early. But I knew that he would serve the country for a long time the way he was batting in the nets. He had so much talent that it was just a matter of time before he performed and I wasn't surprised by his performance.
He was a brilliant player and had a great attitude and temperament. He knew how to fight and win matches for his country when he came into the team. It was the biggest positive of his entire cricketing career the way he won matches for his team," Gambhir said in a video shared by Star Sports.