Celebrating Virat Kohli's 16 years in international cricket as he debuted against Sri Lanka in 2008 today

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Cricket and statistics are married to each other, minus a divorce. Likewise, some dates stayed etched in memory, forever. It was on this day, August 18, 2008, 'King' Virat Kohli made his international debut, against Sri Lanka, in an ODI at Dambulla.

That the Delhi batsman, now batter, scored just 12 runs, was no shame, 16 years ago. After all, even the best in cricket have felt pressure being on the international stage for the first time.

Sixteen years hence, Virat Kohli is remembered today by one and all, with social media also slowly waking up to the news as well on a sleepy Sunday. On that day, Kohli was no King, just a Commoner, someone who was craving to be part of Team India.

Today, mention the man's name, so many images come to mind. For those who have been lucky to watch Virat Kohli all these 16 years in various shades and various stages, he has been the consummate artist wanting to become more and more perfect.

Just as a famous painter (artist) never gets tired of brush, paint and canvas for company, Virat Kohli and millions of images with his bat are there in the collective consciousness of every cricket fan, in India and overseas. There are Virat Kohli baiters as well, but if you have loved cricket in all its forms -- ODIs, Tests and T20 internationals -- Virat the batter has given so many expressions, be it facing the white ball or red ball.

Coming from Vikaspuri in West Delhi and having learnt the fundamentals from Dronacharya Rajkumar Sharma, King Kohli has embraced stardom with open arms. It is no secret, that the longevity of Virat the cricketer is mainly due to his work ethic, his fitness. Reams have been written about all the hard methods he has used to stay fit and resist a cheat meal. As someone who rarely needed to head to the NCA (National Cricket Academy) in Bengaluru for rehab, this man in his mid-30s has shown that one can preserve himself and get better each day.

Without sounding cliched, the very mention of Virat Kohli throws up gigabytes of memories and images. Each image floods the mind as you recall his contribution across formats - 8848 runs in 113 Tests, 13,906 runs in 295 ODIs and 4188 runs in 125 T20 internationals. Yes, each diehard cricket fan already has mugged up these details since cricket and stats are so intertwined.

Where the romance of Virat Kohli is most passionate, minus hatred, is his dalliance with RCB - Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Since the time the IPL began, Virat has been part of a side whose fan base defines blind faith. Failure or success, the girl or the boy on the streets of Bengaluru will kill you if you utter a word against King Kohli during an IPL season. Why this happens is no mystery, for club loyalty and cricket in India are now well known. To score 8004 runs in 252 matches again defines Virat's longevity and relevance, minus fatigue.

All this is stats-based, as mentioned above. Where the boy-turned-man and now an icon has touched millions of hearts is his persona. Some think he is brash, some think he is arrogant and some think he is a genius. Virat has never sought to identify himself with all these references, for, he himself has been an ardent devotee of the God of Indian cricket - Sachin Tendulkar.

Last year, Virat was at his best, no not just in terms of runs but also how he respects his idol, when he smashed his 50th ODI ton against New Zealand in the ICC ODI World Cup last year. He saw Sachin in the stands, bowed before him. That was an act of being reverential, which evoked the same response from SRT. He stood up, clapped and applauded. Imagine, one genius celebrating another, this is one memory of Virat Kohli which will never fade away.

Or course, for those who have loved audacity bordering on arrogance, Virat Kohli smashing Harris Rauf for a six in the ICC T20 World Cup in 2022 at the MCG remains one of the best shots. Replays of that six which defied geometry in cricket have been seen billions of times and even been voted by the ICC as the greatest six. That's Virat Kohli the batter for those who love to see him in the role of a marauder. How he does it, only he knows, but from India to Pakistan, Virat Kohli still commands respect, and his fan base is so rich.

If you think all this has affected Virat the Super Star, it's quite the opposite. Even after quitting captaincy and now quitting T20 internationals along with Rohit Sharma, he remains a faithful servant of Indian cricket. Sixteen years is a long time and one article won't suffice to recall his journey. Suffice it to say, like Sachin Tendulkar, a genius like Virat Kohli is born once in a lifetime.