New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS): Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), congratulated talismanic batter Virat Kohli for completing 16 years of playing international cricket.

On this day in 2008, Kohli made his international cricket debut in India’s ODI against Sri Lanka at Dambulla, a couple of months after he became the Under-19 World Cup-winning captain at Kuala Lumpur.

“16 years ago today, a 19-year-old @imVkohli stepped onto the international stage for the first time, marking the beginning of what has become a truly legendary career. Congratulations to the King on completing 16 years in international cricket!” wrote Shah on ‘X’.

In his debut international game, Kohli opened the batting with current India head coach Gautam Gambhir and made just 12 runs. He ended his maiden international series with 159 runs in five matches at an average of 31.80.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kohli’s IPL franchise since 2008, also took to ‘X’ to congratulate the batter for completing 16 years in international cricket. “16 years of the King, and an eternity-old Kingdom of magic. All hail, all hail King Kohli. From debut to certified GOAT status. Through 16 years of relentless passion, Virat didn’t just play the game, he set the blueprint for a new perfect brand of cricket!”

Since then, Kohli has emerged as a formidable batting force for India, amassing 13,906 runs in 295 ODIs and also holds the record for most centuries by a male batter in the format – 50 centuries, 27 of which have come in run-chases. He has also amassed 8,848 runs in 113 Test matches and made 4,188 runs in 125 T20Is.

Kohli has won the ODI World Cup in 2011, the Champions Trophy in 2013 and the T20 World Cup in 2024, following which he retired from the shortest format. He also holds the record for most wins by an Indian Test captain, as the side won 40 out of 68 matches when Kohli was the skipper.