Virat Kohli Reflects on His IPL Journey and Early Challenges

Virat Kohli's Nostalgic IPL Debut

New Delhi [India] - On April 9, cricket icon Virat Kohli shared his memories of debuting for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League (IPL) back in 2008. He expressed his admiration for meeting cricket legends Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid during that time.

Kohli is one of the few players who has dedicated his entire IPL career to a single franchise. He made his first appearance in the tournament's opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008.

That match is also remembered for Brendon McCullum's explosive innings, where he scored a remarkable 158 runs off just 73 balls. Kohli's debut ended with him being dismissed for just 1 run off 5 balls by Ashok Dinda, marking the beginning of his journey towards becoming a cricketing legend.

Despite facing challenges in his early career, Kohli cherishes the memories of meeting Indian cricket greats and recalls feeling as if he had stepped into a dream. He acknowledged feeling nervous but recognized that he needed to elevate his game.

In a candid chat on '18 Calling 18' on JioHotstar, Kohli shared, 'The first time I played in IPL, I was in complete awe. I hadn’t really met anyone before—except maybe Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh from our North Zone days—so walking into a dressing room with legends like Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid felt like fantasy land.'

He continued, 'But with that excitement came pressure. I knew my game wasn’t quite at that level yet, and I had to prove myself. That pressure eventually caught up with me in the first season. Still, the experience was unforgettable.'

After finishing his debut season with only 165 runs at an average of 15.00, Kohli's performance improved significantly in subsequent seasons. He noted that frequent changes in the batting order and limited opportunities at the top made it difficult for him to establish himself early on.

'In my first three years with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, I didn’t get many opportunities to bat in the top order. I was usually sent in lower down. So, I wasn’t really able to crack the IPL in a big way early on, apart from the occasional impactful knock,' he explained.

Kohli added, 'However, the 2009 season felt a bit better for me. The pitches that year suited my game—the ball was coming onto the bat nicely, and I could play my shots more freely. It was definitely an interesting phase in my career. From 2010 onwards, I started performing more consistently, and by 2011, I was regularly batting at number three. That’s when my IPL journey really began to take shape.'