August 18, 2008 is a very special day as it was the debut of one of Indian cricket’s greatest players. At the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, a 19-year-old Virat Kohli walked out for his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in the first match of a five-game series. India were missing Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli, who was fresh from leading India to the Under-19 World Cup title earlier that year, opened the batting with Gautam Gambhir. He managed 12 runs off 22 balls, including one boundary, before Nuwan Kulasekara trapped him leg-before.
India collapsed to 146 all out in 46 overs.
Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan picked up six wickets between them. Sri Lanka chased the target comfortably, winning by eight wickets with Mahela Jayawardene finishing unbeaten on 61. It was a tricky surface and a failure for Kohli on his debut but he would go on to turn things around and dominate cricket for the next 18 years.
As of today, Kohli has scored more than 28,300 international runs across formats. In Tests he finished with 9,230 runs from 123 matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries, before retiring from the format in 2025. In T20Is he amassed 4,188 runs at 48.69 with one hundred before stepping away after the 2024 World Cup triumph.
He is still active in the ODI format where he has crossed 14,900 runs at an average close to 58.60, with a record 54 centuries, the most by any player in the format. His highest score remains 183 against Pakistan in 2012. From a score of 12 on debut to becoming the most prolific ODI century-maker and one of India’s greatest ever batsmen. August 18 is a memorable day for cricket fans.
