5 players who you didn't know played in Virat Kohli's international debut in 2008 ft. Irfan Pathan

On this day in 2008, a young 19-year-old Virat Kohli donned the Indian jersey for the very first time. He played his first international match, an ODI against Sri Lanka, on August 18 at Dambulla.

He opened the batting but did not have a memorable outing. The right-hander was dismissed for 12 runs off 22 balls. While he did not leave an impression right away, Virat Kohli went on to establish himself among the best batters in the game, particularly in the one-day format.

Kohli has played 302 ODIs so far, having amassed 14181 runs at an average of 57.88 with 51 hundreds. He retired from T20Is and Tests, having scored 4188 runs from 125 games and 9230 runs from 123 games in both formats, respectively.

On his international debut, India were bowled out for 146 in 46 overs. Sri Lanka chased down the target comfortably in 34.5 overs with eight wickets to spare.

That said, here are five players who played in the game where Virat Kohli made his maiden international appearance in 2008.

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#5 Ajantha Mendis

Sri Lanka v West Indies - ICC World Twenty20 2012 Final - Source: Getty

Former Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis, also known as the 'mystery spinner', made his ODI debut the very same year as Virat Kohli against the West Indies at Port of Spain. The right-arm off-spinner had bagged three wickets in Kohli's debut game.

He dismissed Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, and Munaf Patel. Mendis featured in 19 Tests, 87 ODIs, and 39 T20Is. Mendis picked up 70, 152, and 66 wickets respectively in all three formats. He last played international cricket in 2015 but officially announced his retirement in 2019.

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#4 Chaminda Vaas

ICC Cricket World Cup Super Eights - England v Sri Lanka - Source: Getty

Former left-arm pacer Chaminda Vaas also played in Virat Kohli's international debut in 2008. Vaas is among the best fast bowlers of all time from Sri Lanka to have played the game. He returned figures of 1/34 from nine overs in that game and dismissed India's current head coach Gautam Gambhir for a duck.

Vaas bagged 400 ODI wickets from 322 matches at an average of 27.53. He picked up 355 wickets from 111 Tests at an average of 29.58. The left-arm quick also played six T20Is and bagged as many wickets.

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#3 Munaf Patel

England v India - 4th Natwest One Day International Series - Source: Getty

2011 ODI World Cup winner Munaf Patel was a part of the Indian team in Virat Kohli's international debut. The right-arm pacer first scored 15 runs with the bat and then bagged the only two wickets that Sri Lanka lost in that chase.

Munaf accounted for the scalps of Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara. He did not have a long international career. The 42-year-old played 13 Tests, 70 ODIs, and three T20Is. He picked up 35, 86, and four wickets in all three formats, respectively.

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#2 Pragyan Ojha

India v Australia - Second Test: Day One - Source: Getty

Pragyan Ojha made his ODI debut in the same year as Virat Kohli against Bangladesh at Karachi. As India batted first against Sri Lanka, Ojha made an unbeaten 16 off 29 balls. However, he could not find much success with the ball. He returned figures of 0/9 from three overs.

Ojha represented India in 24 Tests, 18 ODIs, and six T20Is. The left-arm spinner ended with 113, 21, and 10 wickets respectively in all three formats. His last international appearance came in 2013.

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#1 Irfan Pathan

ICC Champions Trophy: India v England - Source: Getty

Former India all-rounder and left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan also played alongside Virat Kohli in his international debut in 2008. Irfan scored seven runs off 19 balls in that game, but could not pick up a wicket with the ball. He returned figures of 0/35 from seven overs.

The all-rounder was a part of the Indian team that won the 2007 T20 World Cup. In the final, he won the 'Player of the Match' award against Pakistan. He scored over 1000 runs and picked up more than 100 wickets in both Tests and ODIs.