Virat Kohli completes 13 years in test cricket: throwback to his debut against West Indies

Thirteen years ago, Virat Kohli embarked on his red-ball cricket journey for India, following the illustrious era of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman. Kohli debuted against the West Indies on June 20th in Kingston, Jamaica, but his start was not as successful as he had hoped. Dismissed by Fidel Edwards in both innings, Kohli managed only 19 runs in total.

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Today, the Indian cricket team is in Bridgetown, Barbados, for their Super Eights fixture against Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup. Exactly 1976 kilometers away, Jamaica marks the spot where Kohli¡¯s Test cricket story began. India played the West Indies in the 1st Test at Sabina Park, Kingston, in 2011. Fresh from their ODI World Cup victory in April, Kohli was given the revered Test cap, becoming the 268th cricketer to represent India in Test cricket. Despite Kohli's modest scores of 4 and 15, India won the Test by 63 runs.

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Kohli's quiet start in Test cricket was merely a prelude to an illustrious career. Over 13 years, he has amassed 8848 runs in 113 Test matches, with a highest score of an unbeaten 254 at an average of 49.15, including 29 hundreds and 7 double hundreds. He stands as the fourth highest run-scorer for India, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar (15921), Rahul Dravid (13265), and Sunil Gavaskar (10122).

In 2014, Kohli succeeded MS Dhoni as Test captain and led India in 68 Test matches, achieving the best win percentage among captains who have played at least 10 matches. His leadership saw India winning 40 Test matches and losing 17. Kohli's reverence for Test cricket as the pinnacle of international cricket was evident when India won their maiden Test series in Australia in 2018-19 under his captaincy.

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Under Kohli¡¯s leadership, India secured Test match victories in Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies. They also reached the final of the World Test Championship, where they lost to New Zealand. Kohli stepped down as Test captain in January 2022, passing the baton to Rohit Sharma.

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As India faces Afghanistan today, Kohli aims to make a significant contribution with the bat, adding another memorable performance to this day that marks 13 years since his Test debut.

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