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Interesting Fact: Virat Kohli Started His T20I Career As India’s Vice-Captain

Akshita Patel

When Virat Kohli's T20I career began with leadership role [Source: AFP Photos]When Virat Kohli's T20I career began with leadership role [Source: AFP Photos]

Virat Kohli, the now superstar of Indian cricket, began his T20I journey way back in 2010 against Zimbabwe. Interestingly, MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag weren’t part of that series, and the young Kohli made his debut under the captaincy of Suresh Raina as vice-captain.

Kohli made his international debut in 2008 during the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Coming from the U19 World Cup victory as captain, the batter has made waves across the county, with selectors keen on seeing his talent thrive in all three formats.

From Virat Kohli to Shubman Gill: India’s Vice-Captaincy Comes Full Circle

In 2010, Virat Kohli got his maiden T20I call-up for the Zimbabwe tour. With seniors like MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag resting, Suresh Raina was appointed as captain.

What made it even more special was that Kohli wasn’t just a newcomer, he was named the vice-captain of the squad on debut. That was a big moment, as it showed how much faith the selectors and team management had in him at such an early stage of his career. 

Fast forward to today, and history feels like it’s repeating itself. Just like Virat once stepped up as a young vice-captain in T20Is, Shubman Gill has now been promoted to the role of India’s T20I vice-captain for the 2025 Asia Cup. 

Virat, who later went on to lead India in T20Is from 2017 to 2021, built a reputation as one of the best captains in the format, winning 30 out of 50 matches. 

Shubman Gill, who has already shown maturity as a Test captain and as a quality top-order batter, could be following a similar path, probably as a future all-format captain for India.

If this happens, Gill will surely be aiming to mirror or advance as India’s captain across all formats, and he is just 25 years old with a whole career lying ahead of him.