Virat Kohli completed 10 years in Test cricket having made his debut in 2011 against West Indies at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. Although his impact in that match was pretty much negligible, he rose quickly soon after.
In the longest format, the Indian skipper has scored the most tons among all the players since his debut. His leadership stint started off on an astonishing note as well. Assuming captaincy from Dhoni in the Adelaide Test in 2014 against Australia, Kohli scored centuries in both innings.
He has since had a successful career and is arguably the greatest batsman of the modern era. However, not everyone, who made their debut in the same year as him, has had such a fruitful career.
Here, we take a look at 3 such cricketers who debuted in 2011 alongside Virat Kohli:
1) Abhinav Mukund
The cricketer from Tamil Nadu made his debut in 2011 in the same Test as Virat Kohli. He earned his place in the team through stellar performances in the domestic circuit. Having the knack of playing the long innings in the Ranji trophy, Abhinav Mukund looked destined to make it big at the international level.
However, it wasn’t as rosy as one would have expected. In the three-Test series against the Windies, Mukund only had a solitary fifty to his name. However, noticing his composure and comfort at the crease, the selectors felt he deserved another chance.
As a result, he was named in the squad for the tour of England in 2011. Unfortunately for him, he was found wanting against the moving ball and ended up losing his place after 2 matches. His final appearance came in 2017 against Sri Lanka at Galle. He scored 12 & 81 in the two innings but ran out of opportunities and is unlikely to make a return.
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2) Praveen Kumar
The medium-pace bowler from Uttar Pradesh also made his debut in the same Test as Virat Kohli. He lacked pace but more than made up for it with his consistency in line and length. Praveen Kumar was India’s best swing bowler for a while until injuries plagued his career.
He rose to fame in the 2007–08 Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia. In the 4 matches he played, Praveen picked up 10 wickets including a couple of four-wicket hauls. Growing at a quick rate, Praveen became India’s go-to bowler in foreign conditions. He was even part of India’s 2011 ODI World cup squad, but an elbow injury kept him on the sidelines.
In 84 matches across formats for the country, Praveen picked up 112 wickets at an average of 32.71. Recurring injuries and fitness issues meant that his career was short-lived. Eventually, in October 2018, he retired from all forms of international cricket.
3) Varun Aaron
Being one of India’s first pacers to clock consistent speeds of 140kpmh+, Varun Aaron was primed to take over the cricketing world by storm. He made his debut against West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium on 22 November 2011.
Although he took 3 wickets in the first innings, he soon lost his spot in the team following an injury. Varun made a comeback after a two-year hiatus, but lack of control over his rapid pace resulted in his omission from the squad. The last Test (his 9th) he played for India came way back in 2015.
In the IPL, the fast bowler from Bihar has been unable to find some wriggling room on any of the teams he has played for. Having an economy on the higher side has inadvertently brought about his downfall. In recent years, he has dropped a few kilometers on his pace but needs to make the long climb back to international cricket through the domestic circuit.