Virat Kohli just lucky to play for India? Dilip Vengsarkar reveals how he was misplaced

Former BCCI chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar recently recalled his backing of ace Team India batter Virat Kohli in 2008. Vengsarkar stated that the right-handed batter impressed with his batting performances in under-17 and under-19 cricket, including leading the under-19 team to a World Cup victory.

Dilip Vengsarkar was the chief selector when Virat Kohli made his international debut during India’s 2008 tour of Sri Lanka. He scored only one half-century in five ODIs during the series. Notably, the Delhi-born cricketer came into the limelight after leading India to their second Under-19 World Cup title.

Virat Kohli Was Absolutely Ready to Open the Innings - Dilip Vengsarkar

Dilip Vengsarkar stated that when Kohli couldn’t fit into the regular playing XI, he was asked to open the innings during the Emerging Players tournament in Australia.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

"He [Virat Kohli] was the captain of India under-19, which won the World Cup, and I had watched him play in both under-19 and under-17 tournaments as well," Vengsarkar said.

"He was impressive. Then what happened was that we could not fit him in the playing XI, and the openers’ slot was empty, so we asked him to open, and he was absolutely ready to open the innings," he added.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rohan Garud (@clubcricketbadger)

That's How We Picked Virat Kohli And the Rest Is History - Dilip Vengsarkar

Dilip Vengsarkar stated that Kohli scored an unbeaten century while chasing against New Zealand. Vengsarkar said he was impressed by Kohli’s composure and consistency. He added that he recommended Kohli’s name for the Sri Lanka tour.

"He opened the innings, especially against New Zealand, who had scored 270 runs and had seven Test cricketers in their team. He not only scored a hundred but made 121 not out. The thing is, after scoring 100, people often tend to throw their wickets away or play aggressive shots, but he made sure India won the game and batted till the very end."

"That’s where we were really impressed. When I came to India, I told them about Virat Kohli, and everybody was taken aback. They said he’s quite young. I said we were going to Sri Lanka, and Sri Lanka is the best place to groom him. That’s how we picked him, and the rest is history."

Dilip Vengsarkar Picked Virat Kohli for the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia

Dilip Vengsarkar’s selection committee picked Kohli for the Emerging Players tournament in Australia. He scored 206 runs in six matches at an average of 41.20. The batter received his maiden national call-up for India’s five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in August 2008.

Kohli made his international debut on August 18 in Dambulla. He opened the batting but scored only 12 runs. The batter went on to establish himself as a top performer in international cricket.

Kohli has played 302 ODIs and scored 14,181 runs at an average of 57.88, including 51 hundreds. He retired from T20Is and Tests. The 36-year-old amassed 4,188 runs from 125 T20I games and 9,230 runs from 123 Test matches.

Also read: Not Shubman Gill! India's 1st Bronco Test topper OUT