India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has praised Virat Kohli on reaching 16 years in international cricket. Gambhir, a prominent figure in the Indian team when Kohli debuted, has closely followed Kohliβs career from the start. He was present when Kohli scored his first international century against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, contributing to a significant partnership that secured the win for India.
Despite their occasional on-field disagreements, Gambhir has always respected Kohli’s dedication and approach to the game.
Gautam Gambhir hails Virat Kohli on completing 16 years in international cricket
Virat Kohli played his first international match on August 18, 2008, against Sri Lanka at Dambulla. In a period of 16 years, he has established himself as one of the greats of the game in all the formats.
While speaking to Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir remembers the time when Virat Kohli was in his early days. Gambhir reckons that Kohli always had so much talent that he isn’t surprised with his performance at all.
“When he made his debut in Sri Lanka and played his first ODI, I remember he had got out early. But I knew that he would serve the country for a long time the way he was batting in the nets. He had so much talent that it was just a matter of time that he will perform and I wasn’t surprised with his performance,” Gambhir said in a video posted by Star Sports on X (formerly Twitter).
The India head coach further mentioned that Kohli knew how to win right from the moment he came into the team. His ability to win matches was the biggest positive of his career.
“He was a brilliant player and had a great attitude and temperament. He knew how to fight and win matches for his country when he came into the team. It was the biggest positive of his entire cricketing career the way he won matches for his team,” Gambhir added.
Virat Kohli’s international cricket career has been outstanding, with numerous records to his name. He has accumulated nearly 14,000 runs in ODIs and close to 9,000 runs in Test matches. Kohli has surpassed Sachin Tendulkar in ODI centuries, amassing 50 hundreds and 72 fifties in the 50-over format.
In T20Is, Kohli has scored 4,188 runs in 125 matches at an average of 48.69. He has delivered some of his finest performances in this format. The 35-year-old retired from T20Is after leading India to victory in the T20 World Cup 2024, where he played a crucial innings in the final.
