"Forever grateful" - Virat Kohli reacts as he completes 15 years in international cricket

Virat Kohli joins an elite list of players to have completed 15 years as an international cricketer (Picture Credits: Twitter/Virat Kohli; AP).

August 18 marks a special day in Virat Kohli's career as it was on this day in 2008 that he made his bow in international cricket in an ODI against Sri Lanka in Dambulla.

The stalwart took to Instagram to express his gratitude on Friday, the anniversary of the day he made his international debut. He shared a picture and captioned it:

"Forever grateful"

The image Kohli shared happens to be from the day India defeated Pakistan in a last-ball thriller in their T20 World Cup clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last year. He was the star of the show with an unbeaten 82 off 53 deliveries as he vaulted India out of a precarious situation in front of a packed crowd of over 90,000 people.

Here's a look at the post shared by Kohli:

Kohli has established himself as one of the all-time greats of the sport over the last 15 years.

With 25,582 runs under his belt in 501 appearances across all formats of international cricket, the 34-year-old top-order batter remains a pivotal cog in the Indian setup.

He also captained India in 68 Tests, 95 ODIs and 50 T20Is with a remarkable success rate, particularly in the longest format.

Virat Kohli holds the key to India's chances at Asia Cup, ODI World Cup

Kohli, along with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, hasn't featured in a T20I since India's semifinal exit at the T20 World Cup in Australia last year.

The former skipper remains a massive part of the team's ODI plans, though. He has enjoyed a superb year so far, having scored consistent runs in Tests and ODIs, apart from the IPL.

Having been rested from the second and third ODI in the West Indies last month, Kohli is set to return for the Asia Cup commencing towards the end of August. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will co-host the event, with India playing all their matches in Sri Lanka.

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India will host Australia for a three-match ODI series in September post the conclusion of the Asia Cup as they look to finalize their preparation for the ODI World Cup beginning on October 5.

The Men in Blue will face Pakistan in their Asia Cup opener on September 2 in Pallekele, while they will begin their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.

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