India's playing XI from Virat Kohli's debut Test match - Where are they now?
Virat Kohli started his Test career on this day 11 years ago in Kingston, Jamaica. Kohli made his ODI debut in 2008, but he could not get a place in the Indian Test playing XI until the year 2011.
Over the last 11 years, Virat Kohli has witnessed many ups and downs in his Test career. From a disastrous tour of England in 2014 to leading India to a historic Test series win on Australian soil in 2018/19, Kohli has seen it all.
He set a new record for the most Test match victories by an Indian captain, guiding India to 40 wins.
India became unbeatable at home under Kohli's leadership. He is no longer the captain of the team now, but remains an integral part of the Test side.
As Kohli celebrates the 11th anniversary of his Test debut, in this listicle today, we will look at the Indian playing XI from his first match and where his teammates are now.
Openers - Abhinav Mukund and Murali Vijay
Abhinav Mukund was one of three debutants in India's first Test during the 2011 West Indies tour. Mukund returned with scores of 11 & 25 in that game. He played six more Tests for the country, with his last appearance coming in 2017. Mukund has not played domestic cricket since 2020.
Murali Vijay managed eight runs in two innings of that game. Vijay remained India's first-choice opener in Tests for quite some time, but his numbers dipped as the years passed, leading to his exit from the squad in 2018.
He is all set to play for the Ruby Trichy Warriors in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2022 this month.
Middle Order - Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni (c and wk)
Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were Virat Kohli's middle-order batting partners in his debut Test. Dravid won the Man of the Match award for his century in the second innings of that game.
Both legends retired a few months after that game. Dravid now works as the head coach of India, while Laxman is the head of the National Cricket Academy.
Virat Kohli returned with scores of 4 & 15 on his Test debut, with Fidel Edwards dismissing him in both innings. MS Dhoni captained the Indian team in that game, scoring 16 runs in two innings. Suresh Raina scored a fifty in the first innings.
Raina and Dhoni retired from international cricket on August 15, 2020. Dhoni still plays for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL, and Raina now works as a commentator.
Bowlers - Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra and Ishant Sharma
Harbhajan Singh scored a 74-ball 70 in Virat Kohli's first Test. He also accounted for three wickets in the game. Singh retired from cricket last year and now works as a cricket expert.
Amit Mishra scalped four wickets in two innings of that game against West Indies, while debutant Praveen Kumar and his fast-bowling partner Ishant Sharma returned with three-wicket hauls in both innings.
Mishra is no longer a part of the Indian squad, but he has been working hard to make a comeback. Kumar retired from cricket in 2018, while Sharma is still an active player.
Brief Scores from Virat Kohli's debut Test: India 246 (Suresh Raina 82; Fidel Edwards 4/56) & 252 (Rahul Dravid 112; Daren Sammy 4/52) beat West Indies 173 (Adrian Barath 64; Ishant Sharma 3/29) & 262 (Darren Bravo 41; Praveen Kumar 3/42) by 63 runs.