As India take on Sri Lanka in the first Test of the two-match series, batsman Virat Kohli will achieve the milestone of playing 100 matches in the longest format.
“I honestly never thought I’d play 100 Tests, it’s been a long way. Played a lot Cricket A lot of international cricket during these 100 Tests and I am grateful that I was able to play these 100 Tests. God be merciful, I have worked really hard on my fitness. This is a big moment for me, my family and my coach. This is a very special moment,” Kohli said in a video posted on the official Twitter handle BCCI,
‘I never thought I would play 100 Test matches. It’s been a long journey. Grateful I am able to do this… https://t.co/sD5AZvveoW
—BCCI (@BCCI) 1646296130000
“I never grew up thinking that I had to score short runs, the idea was to score big runs. I scored a lot of double hundreds in junior cricket. My idea was to bat long and I enjoy doing that. Took a lot of time. Of you and it revealed your true character. Test cricket needs to survive, for me, this is real cricket.”
Kohli was ready to play 100th test During the South Africa series earlier this year, but as luck would have it, he will reach the milestone in India itself with 50 per cent crowd in attendance at the PCA Stadium, Mohali.
Earlier this year, Kohli stepped down as Test leader but it was not as if the batsman left a lasting legacy as a captain in the longest format of the game.
The 33-year-old, who has been responsible for producing a crop of fast bowlers who can help pick up 20 wickets in any condition, will now hope to do well with the bat in all three formats of the game.
Kohli holds the record for most Test matches played as India’s Test captain (68) and also holds the record for most Test wins by an Indian captain (40). Only Graeme Smith, Ricky PontingAnd Steve Waugh In Test cricket, Kohli has won more matches as a captain.
Kohli first led the team in Test cricket in 2014 against Australia. His last match as captain was the Cape Town Test in South Africa, which India lost by seven wickets. Filling MS Dhoni’s shoes was not going to be easy, but Kohli quickly cemented his position as one of the country’s best thinkers in Test cricket.
The leadership brought out the best in Kohli and it saw the batsman register seven double hundreds in the longest format of the game. Kohli also holds the record for most Test centuries (20) as the captain of India. Under Kohli, India were crowned the number one Test team in the ICC rankings for 42 consecutive months from October 2016 to early March 2020.
He last scored a century in international cricket in 2019 against Bangladesh and since then the entire nation has been eagerly waiting for the batsman to register his 71st century.
One can expect him to register the milestone in his 100th Test and if it does, it will mean that the stars truly combine in a once in a generation batsman.