Virat Kohli, one of the best all-format batters cricket has seen, on Monday completed 11 years as a Test player. On this day, June 20, in 2011 the former captain made his red-ball debut for India. To celebrate the occassion, he posted a clip on social media, with the caption “Time flies”.
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Kohli made his Test debut for India exactly 15 years after two legends, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, had made theirs. The former India skippers first wore the national whites in 1996 against England at the iconic Lord’s Stadium.
Kohli’s debut came against the West Indies in Kingston. While India won the game, the 33-year-old could not make a significant contribution with the bat. He registered scores of 4 and 15 in both innings. Dravid, who was also playing the match, scored 40 off 67 in the first innings and a century in the second.
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Virat Kohli has come a long way since. He not only leads the current India lot in terms of runs in the longest format but also had one of the most successful captaincy stints. Under his leadership, India won a Tests in England, South Africa and Australia. They Border-Gavaskar series win in 2018/19 is one of the best highlights of his career.
Kohli shared a video montage, with all his major milestones in Test cricket, on social media. Watch:
The 33-year-old stepped down as India’s Test captain this year. He also played a landmark 100th Test for the country. In 101 matches, he has scored 8,043 runs at an average of 49.95 with his highest score being 254 not out. He has 27 hundreds and 28 fifties in the format.
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However, a dip in form has been a worry for the No 4 batter. He has not registered a single ton since November 2019. His last three-digit score came against Bangladesh in India’s first home pink ball Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Virat Kohli is India’s most successful Test captain. In 68 matches at the helm, he has managed to secure 40 wins. He will be seen in the one-off Test against England, which will be played from July 1 to 5 in Nottingham.