Kohli goes back to where it all began

India captain Virat Kohli celebrated the ninth anniversary of his international debut by going back to where it all began in Sri Lanka.

Kohli first stepped out for his country in a one-day international on August 18, 2008, at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.

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As fate would have it, that same ground was where the India squad found themselves on Friday, as they prepare for the first game of their five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which begins on Sunday.

And Kohli couldn't resist posing in the same dressing room chair he occupied nine years earlier.

Kohli scored 12 runs from 22 deliveries opening alongside Gautam Gambhir on his debut in Dambulla, trapped in front by Nuwan Kulasekara as Sri Lanka romped to an eight-wicket win.

But 14,663 international runs and 45 international centuries later, the India skipper will be eager to produce a different performance this time around.

He heads into the series as the world’s No.1 ODI batsman, 12 points ahead of Australian vice-captain David Warner, while India sit third on the one-day team charts behind South Africa and Australia.

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There’s a little more on the line for Sri Lanka, who go into the series needing to win at least two matches to be assured of direct qualification for the 2019 World Cup.

Only the top eight teams – as of the cut-off date on September 30 - earn an automatic spot at the event and Sri Lanka currently sit in eighth spot on 88 points, 10 points ahead of the ninth-ranked West Indies.

However, even if Sri Lanka lose 5-0 to India, the Windies would still need to beat Ireland in a one-off ODI and claim a 5-0 series win over England to move ahead of the island nation – a highly unlikely prospect given England’s recent limited-overs success.

Also on the line for Sri Lanka is pride, following their 3-0 Test series defeat to India, and they’ll be looking to new captain Upul Tharanga for redemption in the ODIs.

Tharanga was appointed limited-overs captain to revive the ailing team after their shock 3-2 loss to minnows Zimbabwe.

The 32-year-old has urged fans to be patient, insisting the "rough patch" will pass for the 50-over 1996 World Cup winners.

"Sri Lanka have always been stronger in our white-ball format, and I am confident that we will come out strong and beat India," Tharanga said in a statement from Sri Lanka Cricket.

"We have the talent, we have the skill. We have been putting in the hard work, we just need the spirit, and for that we need your support too," added the left-handed batsman.

Meanwhile, India vice-captain Rohit Sharma urged his men against becoming complacent, reminding them of their surprise loss to Sri Lanka in the opening round of the Champions Trophy in June.

"I have no idea about the squad for this ODI series, but what they had in the Champions Trophy was a very good side. They beat us quite comfortably," said Sharma.

"So you know in one-day cricket they are a very good team. We just got to do what we have been doing in the past few years."