The Indian Premier League (IPL) has become one of the most exciting and followed cricket tournaments in the world, bringing together top talent and massive fanfare every year. Among the many stars who have lit up the league, Virat Kohli stands out for not just his records but also his consistency, having played every season since the tournament’s inception in 2008.
Known for his passion and aggressive style of play, Virat Kohli has become the face of the IPL and continues to inspire millions. His journey, filled with ups and downs, began as a teenager fresh from India’s Under-19 World Cup win.
In a recent conversation on a streaming show, Virat Kohli shared a memorable and lesser-known experience from the very first IPL match in 2008.
Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, the young batter found himself overwhelmed. Though he had often faced fast bowler Ishant Sharma in domestic matches as they both played a lot of cricket together, the electric crowd and intense pressure made Ishant Sharma seem faster and more challenging than ever. Virat Kohli said that on that day, he wasn’t able to hit any delivery from Ishant Sharma because of the atmosphere at the Eden Gardens.
Virat Kohli recalled that Ishant Sharma’s confidence, fresh from a strong international series (Border-Gavaskar Trophy) in which he dismissed Ricky Ponting added to the mental challenge.
Despite being friends and teammates in the Delhi circuit, their on-field encounter was fierce, with Ishant Sharma sledging Virat Kohli throughout the over. Virat Kohli, trying to stay composed, joked that he told Ishant Sharma that he would see him later. However, Virat Kohli’s innings was short-lived as he was dismissed for just one run by Ashok Dinda and RCB lost their first IPL match by 140 runs.
RCB is one of the few IPL franchises which haven’t win the IPL trophy even once despite playing from the inaugural season.
Well, the debut may have been difficult but it marked the beginning of Virat Kohli’s legendary IPL journey.
