From Jamshedpur, which was part of Bihar at the time of his birth, Virat made his debut for the Jharkhand under-19s at the age of 14, in the 2012–13 edition of the Vinoo Mankad Trophy.
[10][11] Later in the 2013–14 season, in March 2014, Virat was selected to make his senior debut for Jharkhand, playing in the limited-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy.
[14][15] Virat's one-day form gained him a place in Jharkhand's team at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy the following month, India's interstate twenty20 competition.
[18] Virat retained in spot in Jharkhand's senior side for the 2014–15 season, while still playing at domestic under-19 level with the aim of qualifying for the Indian national under-19 team.
[21] Virat also made his senior debut for East Zone later in the season, and scored 54 runs in the final of the limited-overs Deodhar Trophy.