CSK pay tribute to Virat Kohli as RCB and India icon completes 17 years in international cricket - "Run machine, record breaker"

On August 18, 2008, Virat Kohli donned the India blue for the first time as he took the field against Sri Lanka in the first match of a five-game ODI series in Dambulla.

After guiding the junior Indian side to triumph in the U-19 World Cup in March 2008, Kohli finally broke into the senior team and was up against a star-studded Sri Lankan side.

He opened the innings with the current India head coach Gautam Gambhir, but the debut innings did not go as planned, as he was dismissed by Nuwan Kulasekara for just 12 runs.

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India were eventually bowled out for 146 runs as Sri Lanka comfortably chased down the total and clinched the first match of the series. 

While Kohli did not have an ideal debut, he went on to dominate international cricket from there. He is one of the finest ODI players in the history of the game and he holds the record of scoring the most centuries in the format, a record he created during the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 49 hundreds.

In Test cricket, too, he has close to 10,000 runs and has hit 30 centuries. Kohli has won the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2013 and 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2024 T20 World Cup. He has already announced his retirement from the T20 and the Test formats, but he continues to play in ODIs for India.

READ: India Asia Cup 2025 squad selection 4-way battle

CSK pay tribute to Virat Kohli on completing 17 years in International cricket

As Kohli completed 17 years in international cricket, five-time Indian Premier League champions Chennai Super Kings shared a tribute post for the India legend.

CSK wrote on X: "Run machine, record breaker & relentless passion for the game! #OnThisDay Virat made his debut and rest is history! 

Run machine, record breaker & relentless passion for the game! 🇮🇳💛#OnThisDay Virat made his debut and
rest is history! 💯#WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/ij7wJx0gDr

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) August 18, 2025

What is Virat Kohli's record in International cricket?