Team India head coach Rahul Dravid and former skipper Virat Kohli paid tribute to Ross Taylor for his ‘phenomenal career' with New Zealand.
Ross Taylor called time on his international career on Monday (4th April) with the completion of the three-match ODI series against the Netherlands. Although he scored only 14 runs in his final outing for the nation, he has been one of the prolific batters in the BlackCaps' line-up over the years.
Taylor played a pivotal role in taking New Zealand to greater heights at the international stage. Debuting for the team in 2006, the right-hander played 112 Test matches, 235 ODIs, and 102 T20Is for the Kiwis in a career that lasted 16 years. He scored over 18,000 runs across formats to go with 40 centuries and 93 half-centuries.
As he stepped on the field for the last time for New Zealand, cricketing legends across the world sent messages and wishes for the former Kiwi captain.
Speaking in a video posted on BlackCaps' Twitter account, Rahul Dravid congratulated Ross Taylor on a ‘phenomenal career’. He said that his hunger and desire to become a better cricketer was the standout thing in his career.
"Congratulations on your phenomenal career Ross Taylor. It's been an absolute privilege to had opportunity to play with you & to play against you. & also I get to know you over the years. One of thing stood out for me was your hunger and desire to Better Cricketer,” Rahul Dravid said.
Virat Kohli also applauded Taylor, who has been a great ambassador of the game, on a ‘wonderful’ career with New Zealand and wished him luck for his future endeavours.
"Congratulations Ross Taylor on your wonderful career with New Zealand. You've been legend for New Zealand cricket. You've been great ambassador of the game. We shared some amazing Memories together. All the best Ross," Virat Kohli said.
Notably, Dravid, Kohli, and Taylor were teammates at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2008 to 2010. Apart from the Indian greats, the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Mike Hesson, Aaron Finch, and Tim Southee also wished the outing New Zealand batter.
