India's playing XI from Virat Kohli's Test debut - Where are they now?
Virat Kohli made his Test debut on 20 June in the year 2011. He received his maiden Test cap under MS Dhoni's captaincy against the West Indies at Sabina Park.
Kohli did not have the best of debuts as he returned with scores of 4 & 15 in his first two innings. The right-handed batter got caught out off Fidel Edwards' bowling on both occasions.
Although Virat Kohli could not impress much on his Test debut, he has now become one of the greatest players in the format. He has recorded 28 centuries and seven double-hundreds in Test cricket. Kohli also became the first Indian captain to win a Test series on Australian soil in 2018-19.
The star Indian batter is considered one of the ambassadors of Test cricket for the passion that he brings to the game. As mentioned ahead, it was on June 20, 2011, that Virat Kohli donned the whites for the first time in Test cricket. In this article now, we will look at India's playing XI from that match.
Batters - Abhinav Mukund, Murali Vijay, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni (c)
Abhinav Mukund also made his Test debut in the same match as Virat Kohli. The left-handed batter opened the innings with Murali Vijay. Mukund scored 36 runs in two innings, whereas Vijay managed only eight runs.
Rahul Dravid was the Man of the Match in Kohli's debut Test. Dravid smashed a match-winning century in the second innings for India. VVS Laxman scored 12 in two innings, while Virat Kohli aggregated 19 runs.
Suresh Raina top-scored for India in the first innings by aggregating 82 runs. He scored 27 runs and took one wicket in the second innings. Captain MS Dhoni scored 16 runs in two innings.
All players from the batters' list except Virat Kohli and Mukund have now retired from international cricket. Vijay and Raina have shifted their focus to commentary and other T20 leagues. Dhoni still captains Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Dravid is India's head coach while Laxman is the head of the National Cricket Academy.
Bowlers - Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar
India played with two fast bowlers and two spinners in that Test match in 2011. Harbhajan Singh stole the show with a 74-ball 70 in the first innings. He took a total of three wickets with the ball.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra bagged two wickets each in both innings. Meanwhile, Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar took three wickets apiece in both innings.
Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar have retired from international cricket. Singh works as a commentator and also participates in other T20 leagues.
Mishra and Sharma worked very hard to make a comeback in IPL 2023 earlier this year. While Mishra did an impressive job for the Lucknow Super Giants, Sharma emerged as a match-winner for the Delhi Capitals.
India's Playing XI from Kohli's Test debut
Abhinav Mukund, Murali Vijay, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c and wk), Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar.