Virat Kohli’s First ODI Century Turns 16 – The Knock That Started An Era

The former captain of the Indian national cricket team, a right-handed top-order batsman, Virat Kohli has been the lifeline of Indian cricket, making fans fall in love with his talent time and again. His evergreen dedication to setting new records now almost seems like a hobby. Kohli has achieved 84 centuries in international cricket, including 53 in ODIs, 30 in Test cricket, and 1 in T20 Internationals.

After making his debut against Sri Lanka in 2008, on December 24 the following year, Kohli recorded his first ODI hundred. A young Virat Kohli walked onto the Eden Gardens pitch carrying the heavy expectations of steering the nation to victory. India was chasing a massive target of 315 against Sri Lanka, and early wickets had put the team in trouble. However, Kohli, alongside senior teammate Gautam Gambhir, played with composure and stitched a match-winning partnership. He struck his maiden 107 off 114 balls, announcing his arrival on the world stage. Kohli’s temperament, fitness, and exceptional running between the wickets soon became his trademarks and defined his style.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle celebrated this crucial milestone in Virat Kohli’s sporting career. Capturing him mid-celebration and mid-stroke symbolized both the achievement and the relentless drive that have defined his career. RCB paid homage to their exceptional player by captioning the post “Century Numero Uno” along with a crown emoji. Fans responding to the post treated it as a nostalgic reminder of where Kohli’s journey as a global superstar truly began.

Virat Kohli’s cricketing journey is defined by relentless consistency. Debuting for India in 2008, he has scored over 27,000 international runs across formats, including more than 13,000 ODI runs at an average above 50, making him one of the greatest batters in the format’s history. Under his ODI captaincy from 2013 to 2021, India played 95 matches and won 65. In Test cricket as well, Kohli led India to the No.1 Test ranking and guided the team to a historic Test series win in Australia in 2018–19. In the recently concluded India vs South Africa ODI series, Virat broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record by scoring his second century of the series.

Kohli has gradually evolved into one of the greatest chasers in ODI history, frequently guiding India to victory with precise pacing and calculated aggression. His success stems from a simple yet demanding approach—building his innings around singles and doubles. Once fully set, the scoreboard keeps ticking, with acceleration coming naturally. Despite many ups and downs, the King has firmly secured his place in the hearts of hearts, defining an entire era in Indian cricket.