Bowlers whose maiden T20 wicket was Virat Kohli

International cricket can be excruciatingly tough for a debuting bowler especially in this era of modest grounds, enormous bats and flat pitches where they can sometimes be reduced to a mere bowling machine. The aforementioned factors rendered against a newcomer make his first wicket all the more special, and if that is the wicket of India's superstar Virat Kohli, it makes the occasion sacred for him irrespective of what he manages to achieve during the course of his career.

Tabraiz Shamsi did experience that moment at the Wanderers when he trapped Kohli (26) LBW to notch his first T20I wicket, a consolation after the latter had been dropped in his previous over. Shamsi joined a coveted or rather blessed set of bowlers whose debut wicket just happened to be the Indian skipper.

Here's a list of the bowlers whose maiden T20 wicket happened to be that of Kohli:

#5 Jasprit Bumrah, India

When: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Banglore, 2013

One of the success tales that has helped India solve their death-overs conundrum has been Jasprit Bumrah. With his unorthodox action and immaculate yorkers, Bumrah was fast-tracked into the IPL by Mumbai Indians even before his first-class debut for Vidarbha.

Bumrah has an uncanny ability to get established batsmen out as his maiden wicket, a trend that commenced with Virat Kohli's wicket when he trapped him LBW in an IPL game. That trend continued when he made his international debut, with Steve Smith and AB de Villiers being his first ODI and Test wickets respectively.

#4 Mitchell Marsh, Australia

When: India vs Australia, 2nd T20I, Melbourne Cricket Ground, 2012

Earmarked for higher honors after leading Australia to the U19 World Cup title in 2010, Mitchell Marsh, Australia's preferred all-rounder made his T20I debut at the age of 19 against South Africa at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.

Marsh though had to wait until the second T20I against India in February of 2012 for his first wicket.

India needed to win the second T20I in a bid to level the series, and they were on track to achieve that when they restricted the Aussies to 131. In reply, the Indians were going along swiftly with Gambhir (56 off 60 balls) and Virat Kohli (31 off 24 balls) putting on a 54 run stand for the second wicket.

However, Marsh, with his extra pace, struck gold by inducing an edge off Kohli's bat. Marsh's maiden wicket wasn't enough for his team though as India romped home with eight wickets remaining, but the feat that he achieved shall remain sacred for the young all-rounder for the rest of his career.

#3 Mohammad Irfan, Pakistan

When: India vs Pakistan, Bengaluru 2012

Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan resumed after a hiatus of five years when the Men in Blue hosted their arch-rivals in the winter of 2012. Pakistan, renowned for their factory of left-arm fast bowling talent, unearthed their newest product in the form of 7 foot 1 inch tall Mohammad Irfan.

After years of toiling in the domestic setup, Irfan finally got his due when he made his debut against India in 2012.

With impressive figures of 1-25 in four overs, Irfan made a remarkable impact on his debut, the icing on the cake being the wicket of Virat Kohli who attempted a wild slash outside the off stump, offering a modest catch to Kamran Akmal.

A spirited performance from Irfan and the other bowlers helped Pakistan restrict India to 9-133, which they chased down with ease, capping off a memorable debut for Irfan.

#2 Brad Hogg, Australia

When: Australia vs India, 1st T20I Syndey Cricket Ground, 2012

Left-arm George Bradley Hogg, with his zooming flippers and difficult-to-pick wrong'uns remains one of the most mercurial Chinaman bowlers in the history of Australian Cricket. Hogg, just like Stuart MacGill, had to spend years in the shadow of Shane Warne. However, his big chance arrived when the latter failed a drug test prior to the 2003 World Cup.

The left-arm bowler didn't look back as he went on to take a plethora of wickets in both the 2003 and 2007 World Cups. After struggling in his comeback to Test cricket against India, Hogg announced his retirement in the season of 2007-08, a decision that made heads turn.

If Hogg's decision to retire was surprising, his decision to come back was even more so. His return to active cricket led to a surprise BBL callup from Perth Scorchers and ultimately from the national side. The willy chinaman with his childlike enthusiasm celebrated his return in magnificent style when he foxed India's superstar Virat Kohli by dropping the ball short. Kohli hoisted the ball to deep midwicket only to realize he hadn't got the desired elevation.

Kohli's (22 off 21 balls) dismissal yet again triggered a collapse as India could only manage 6-140 in pursuit of the Australian total of 4-171.

#1 Stuart Meaker, England

When: India vs England, 1st T20I Pune, 2012

Stuart Meaker had a series to remember when England and India squared off in 2012. Meaker got the better of Kohli twice, the first of which was his maiden T20I wicket. Kohli, while attempting a backfoot pull, got deceived by Meaker's change of pace, dragging the ball onto the stumps in the process. Meaker's dismissal of Kohli may not have had a significant impact on the game result as India romped home with five wickets to spare, but his second strike sure had a telling impact.

England had to win at Mumbai to level the 2-match series and with India batting first, their first objective was to not allow the Indian batsmen to get away with the game. Meaker laid the foundation for England when he trapped an ominous-looking Kohli (38 off 20 balls) LBW to trigger a mini-collapse that helped England restrict India to 8-177 that was chased down with ease thanks to their skipper Eoin Morgan (49 off 26 balls).