15 years of Virat Kohli in international cricket – A burning sun that forged empires and universes around the hallowed name

15 years ago in 2008, a certain name donned the Indian jersey for the first time and before he would step in the hellish yard of international cricket, people around him would very casually throw in his name with a word of promise in its trail. But if we take a closer look at the antiquity of Indian cricket, not every promise was fulfilled, neither could every star spawn a universe surrounding it.

But then, this young lad called Virat Kohli had ruffled a few feathers in the then-recently concluded U19 World Cup in 2008 as India lifted the trophy under his reign and he was instrumental both with the bat and that ‘right arm’ quick bowling of his.

After all the talks of promise and excitement, Kohli got an opportunity to showcase his flair against Sri Lanka, but started off on a wrong note. He could only score 12 runs and went down on a trail that only took him deeper in the belly of the beast. However, with the subtle caress of time and tide, he managed to stay afloat in the swashbuckling waves of the sport.

Fast forward the clock by three years and India was up against Sri Lanka in the World Cup final. Chasing 275, they were already staring down the barrel with Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar back in the hut even before India could get the wheels rolling.

They needed a solid partnership at that point in time and with Gautam Gambhir desperately clawing to the other end, it was Kohli who walked out in the middle. The young batter was up against the mighty Sri Lankan bowling mafia that comprised the likes of Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suraj Randiv and the formidable Muttiah Muralitharan.

With one unplayable ball after the other passing by, the Indian partnership of Kohli and Gautam Gambhir stood tall in the middle and kept on weathering that immediate storm before finally starting to row. It took them a while but they successfully managed to steer clear of the choppy waters and did put up a fine display of grit and gumption to establish a steady partnership that provided India the much-needed reprieve in the first place while setting up a platform for the latter stages.

Wankhede had a very close glimpse into a name that was being touted as a master of the offing. It was indeed promising. Call him the Prince if you may, back then, he was starting to take on bowlers who were leaving a trail of carnage everywhere they went. Let’s just say a certain Mitchell Johnson would leave all the batters in the world with a sense of fear and there was barely anyone willing to face the might of the Dennis Lille-esque gait towering at them at express speed.

But then the worlds collided, universes burnt out and Mitchell Johnson’s reign of terror met an unexpected wall of brilliance too, as he was not just stalled but was being zipped up till his very core with a pinch of love as Virat Kohli destroyed him in the former’s backyard and then blew a kiss towards him as well on a sarcastic note of affection.

Have you heard of a certain James Faulkner? Well, they said that not many all-rounders come close to this big man. And yet, when the time came, Virat asked him to keep quiet and bowl and every time he obliged, Virat would very effortlessly keep on driving him to the ropes, simply underlining his arrogance, an attribute that is somewhat intravenous with the King.

In the world of sports, nicknames and titles are one thing that gets very recklessly thrown around. You can wear them like a wooden spoon around your neck if you fail to perform or you can simply don it like a garland of triumph. Kohli chose the latter with the title of Chasemaster. There would be occasions where India would be chasing scores north of 300 with consummate ease just because of this certain Virat Kohli, who had already bagged another title and this time it was of the ‘King’.

There came a time, unfortunately, where everything Kohli touched, somewhat turned to Ashes and the King chose to leave his crown. But then once a warrior, always a warrior, so he picked up the sword, and started fighting again. The bruises hurt, the subjects revolted and yet he kept on fighting. It took him a while.

They say when the wheel of time turns, history gets rewritten and the unexpected prevails and here was another titan taking rebirth. Come Asia Cup 2022, and Virat Kohli was back at his majestic best. Shot after shot, he would effortlessly dispense without breaking a sweat as they screamed class and elegance. The conveyor belt of centuries that got stuck due to an inexplicable glitch in the matrix, started functioning very effusively too.

Come T20 World Cup 2023, the King redefined the words “Kohli goes down the ground, Kohli goes out of the ground” with his extraterrestrial stroke against Haris Rauf, and the rest they say, well it’s not history. It’s just the King living his daily royalty. Today marks the 15th year of Virat Kohli stepping in the international arena and we know what that means.

Let us know his favourite moments that are savoured by you in the comments!