In Pictures: 10 landmark moments in Virat Kohli’s journey to 500 international matches

When Virat Kohli takes the field in the second Test against West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad on Thursday, he will be featuring in his 500th international match.

The 34-year-old made his international debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in August 2018. Although he managed to score only 12, the youngster swiftly went on to establish himself as the number-one batter in the team across formats.

Kohli has so far featured in 110 Tests, scoring 8555 runs at an average of 48.88, with 28 hundreds and 29 fifties to his name. In ODIs, the right-handed batter has amassed 12,898 runs in 274 games, averaging 57.32 at a strike rate of 93.62, with 46 centuries and 65 half-centuries.

The former India captain is the leading run-getter in T20Is with 4008 runs in 115 games at a strike rate of 137.96 and an average in excess of 52.

500 & Counting 😃

Hear from #TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid and milestone man Virat Kohli ahead of a special occasion 👌🏻👌🏻

#WIvIND | @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/cJBA7CVcOj

During his illustrious career, he has been part of some memorable triumphs and ecstatic occasions.

As Kohli plays his 500th international game in the Test against West Indies, we look back at 10 landmark moments in his journey to 500 international matches.

#1 Kohli’s first international hundred

The Delhi boy notched up his maiden international ton in an ODI against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in December 2009. He scored 107 off 114 balls and added 224 runs for the third wicket with Gautam Gambhir (150* off 137) as India chased 316 with ease.

#2 Key cameo in the 2011 ODI World Cup final

Kohli was relatively new to international cricket in 2011 but played a crucial cameo in the World Cup final against Sri Lanka. Chasing 275, India had lost Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar cheaply. Kohli (35) and Gambhir (97) added 83 for the third wicket to steady the innings. The rest is history. (Pic: Getty Images)

#3 First Test ton in Australia

Like Tendulkar before him, Kohli also loves playing against Australia. He has come up with some brilliant performances against the Aussies. It’s no surprise then that his first Test ton also came against his favorite opponent in Adelaide. He scored a fine 116 in January 2012 even as India went down by 298 runs. (Pic: Getty Images)

#4 Guiding India into the 2016 T20 World Cup semis with a special knock

The master chaser scored a top-class 82* off 51 balls as Team India gunned down a target of 161 against Australia in the 2016 T20 World Cup Super 10 clash in Mohali. With the win, the Men in Blue also sealed their berth in the semis. (Pic: Getty Images)

#5 Conquering his demons in England

Kohli laid the demons of a disastrous 2014 tour of England to rest with a specular batting effort during the 2018 series. He amassed 593 runs in 10 innings at an average of 59.30, with two hundreds and three fifties. (Pic: Getty Images)

#6 Leading India to maiden Test series win in Australia

It was under Kohli that Team India created history in Australia, registering their maiden Test series win Down Under in 2018-19. India got the better of the Aussies by a 2-1 margin; the skipper contributing 282 runs at an average of 40.29. (Pic: Getty Images)

#7 Standing up for Steve Smith during the 2019 ODI World Cup

This has nothing to do with his cricketing achievement but still stands out as a landmark moment in the career of Kohli, the sportsman. During the World Cup 2019 clash between India and Australia at the Oval in London, some Indian fans were booing Steve Smith over the 2018 ball-tampering controversy. Kohli stood up for the Aussie cricketer and urged the crowd to applaud Smith instead of taunting him. Respect!

#8 Becoming India’s most successful captain in terms of Test wins

In September 2019, Kohli became India’s most successful Test captain in terms of wins. India’s 257-run win over West Indies in Jamaica was his 28th win as leader of the Indian Test team, taking him past MS Dhoni’s record of 27 Test triumphs as captain.

#9 Breaking the century drought

Rather unexpectedly, Kohli did not score a hundred for over 1000 days in international cricket. After a Test ton against Bangladesh in November 2019, his next three-figure score came against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup 2022 T20 clash in Dubai, when he hammered 122* off 61. (Pic: Getty Images)

#10 The MCG epic

Ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, there were still some question marks over Kohli’s form. However, the 34-year-old answered critics in fitting style, clobbering a sensational 82* off 53 balls against Pakistan at the MCG. The No. 3 batter slammed six fours and four sixes to pull off an improbable triumph for India in a chase of 160 after they seemed down and out at 31/4. (Pic: Getty Images)

Overall, Kohli has scored 25461 in 499 international matches at an average of 53.48, with 75 hundreds and 131 fifties.

500 reasons to admire the journey!

Congratulations to Virat Kohli on his 5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th international match for #TeamIndia 🇮🇳🫡

#WIvIND | @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/Y9lez80Q97

Kohli is at No. 6 on the list of all-time leading run-scorers in international cricket.