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Chief Selector - Dilip Vengsarkar
Former chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar played a major role in Virat's selection to the national team in the year 2008. India had won the CB series and the blueprint was to invest on youngsters keeping the 2011 World Cup in mind. India had won the U-19 World Cup in Virat's leadership and he felt the youngster was ready to play for India. Vengsarkar selected a 19-year old Kohli to play in the ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2008.
Kohli was dropped after a string of poor performances and eventually lost his place in the side. He was in the fringes playing the touring Australians in the Board Presidents XI and also the Emerging players tour in Australia.
In the final, Kohli opened the batting with Shikhar Dhawan and scored an unbeaten 120 against a New Zealand side which had the likes of Chris Martin, Tim Southee, and Corey Anderson. This convinced Vengsarkar who was there in Hobart to witness the game and he re-selected Kohli in 2009 for the Champions Trophy in place of the injured Yuvraj Singh.
Well, as they say, rest is history. Virat did not just cement his place, but he has gone onto become a worldbeater.
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