Team India captain Virat Kohli completed 11 glorious years in international cricket on August 18. He had made his debut in the ODI against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in the year 2008.
Kohli was a part of the Indian team that won the World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013.
His biggest strength lies in the fact that he makes record-breaking look so easy. The 30-year-old has been in great touch of late. In the recently concluded ODI series against West Indies, the in-form skipper achieved a terrific feat. He became the first batsman to score 20,000 international runs in a decade.
Besides, the star right-hander also ended up becoming the second-highest run-getter for India in ODIs, and the leading run-scorer against Windies in one-day cricket.
After MS Dhoni stepped down, Virat Kohli took over the captaincy of the Indian team across all formats in 2017. Under his leadership, India marched to the grand final of the Champions Trophy in the same year.
However, in the 2019 World Cup, Kohli failed to lead the team to what could have been a historic World Cup victory. Despite valiant efforts by Dhoni and Jadeja, India lost to New Zealand in the semifinal.
Upon the completion of his 11 years in international cricket, the nation’s cricketing heartthrob took to Twitter to share a heartwarming message.
“From starting as a teenager on the same day in 2008 to reflecting on the journey 11 years after, I couldn’t have dreamt of the blessings God has showered me with. May you all get the strength and power to follow your dreams and always follow the right path,” he wrote.
From starting as a teenager on the same day in 2008 to reflecting on the journey 11 years after, I couldn't have dreamt of the blessings God has showered me with. May you all get the strength and power to follow your dreams and always follow the right path. 🇮🇳🙏😇#forevergrateful pic.twitter.com/sTZ7tKEoMz
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) August 19, 2019
Virat Kohli will be back on the field, this time in white, in the first Test match against West Indies on August 22. It would also mark the beginning of India’s World Test Championship journey.