Picture Credit: Twitter
After Virat Kohli led India to a famous win at Lord's against England in the second Test, the fans have been full of praise for the Indian skipper for bringing an aggressive culture in his side. It was the beginning of a new era exactly 13 years back. On 18 August 2008, a young boy from Delhi, with aggression in his body language and passion in his eyes, walked out in the Indian blues for the first time ever against Sri Lanka in Dambulla.
It wasn't an easy introduction to international cricket for the youngster. After India opted to bat first in challenging batting conditions, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli came out to open the innings and the former got dismissed in the very first over. Suresh Raina joined Kohli in the middle and the duo tackled the brilliant spell of new-ball bowling by Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekara.
Kohli scored 12 runs off 22 balls in his first international match
The right-handed batsman showed a glimpse of his class in the first outing as he smashed a brilliant cover drive, which became his trademark shot in years to come. Kohli was eventually dismissed by an in-swinging delivery by Kulasekara as the ball struck his pads and he was adjudged LBW.
India were bundled out on 146 in the first innings and Sri Lanka chased down the target comfortably, with 8 wickets remaining. However, little did the world of cricket know that the youngster, who could only manage to score 12 runs off 22 deliveries, is set to become the player who will haunt the bowlers across the globe for many years ahead.
Twitterati hail Kohli for breaking all kinds of records in cricket
13 years after his debut, Virat Kohli has 22,937 runs to his name in 438 international matches for India. Having broken all kinds of records with the bat, the 32-year-old is regarded as one of the modern greats in cricket.
On this special day, #13YearsofViratKohli trended on Twitter as netizens thanked the stylish right-handed batsman for his contribution to Indian cricket over the years. From BCCI to IPL franchises to fans, everyone flooded the social media with posts hailing him as King Of Cricket, Run Machine, Modern Master, Chase Master etc.
