OTD: Virat Kohli made his debut in International cricket for team India

On August 18, 2008, a 19-year-old Virat Kohli for the first time stepped into the field as a senior team India player. It was Kohli's debut international match for India, who was destined to be a legend of modern-day cricket.

Kohli's first senior-level international match, which was a One Day International game, was against Sri Lanka at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. Senior players like Sachin Tendulkar and Virendra Sehwag were not available for the match, so Virat got his chance to shine at the highest level. Against the host, Sri Lanka, the Delhi-born could only manage 12 runs before being dismissed by Nuwan Kulasekara. However, it was only the beginning of a batting maestro.

Before the series, Virat Kohli had already become a well-known face in Indian cricket for his heroics during the U19 World Cup. The batter frequently made headlines during the U19 WC run, as he led India to the World Cup triumph. The right-handed batter did not take too many matches to show his talent for the Men in Blue brigade. On the fourth match of the Sri Lanka tour, Kohli scored his maiden ODI half-century with a 54-run knock as the opening batter.

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Only after a few matches, Kohli scored his first hundred 

Three matches later, he scored an unbeaten 79 against the West Indies at Johannesburg. Sri Lanka became Virat's favorite team within months after making an international debut. On 24 Dec 2009, Virat smacked his first century for India against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Virat played his last ODI for India on March 9, 2025, in Dubai against New Zealand. His last ODI hundred was against the archrivals Pakistan on February 23, 2025. In 2012, Virat Kohli scored his infamous 183 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, which was his highest individual score in ODIs. 

From 2008 to 2025, in 17 years of ODI career, the former skipper of India played 302 One Day Internationals to score a staggering 14,181 runs in total at an average of 57.88 with 51 centuries and 74 half centuries.