Former skipper Virat Kohli will be making his 100th appearance in the longest format when the Indian team will take the field for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali on Friday (March 4).
Ahead of the match, India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah said the landmark Test is a reflection of Kohli’s dedication towards the game.
Notably, Bumrah made his Test debut under Kohli’s captaincy in January 2018 and he has established himself as one of the leading pacers in world cricket.
“It is always a special achievement for a player. You know it is a testimony to his hard-work, dedication,” Bumrah said in an online press conference on Tuesday (March 1).
“…(playing) 100 Test matches for your country is a great occasion and he has contributed a lot to the success of the Indian team and will contribute a lot more in the future as well,” he added.
“It is another feather in his (Kohli’s) cap. I just wish him the best and congratulate him for the achievement.”
Asked if he would like to gift Kohli something on the special occasion, Bumrah said, “If the Indian team wins, then there is no best (better) present than that. But he (Kohli) as a cricketer would like to give his best.”
“Whichever match we play, whether it is his 100th Test, yes obviously, (it is) a big achievement and it is a testimony to his hard work, but India’s main focus is on the series.
The Mohali Test will be held behind closed doors and it is certainly a bit of a downer for Kohli’s fans.
“See, right now we are in the frame of mind, where we are focussing on what we can control,” Bumrah said.
“(If) the crowds come, it is good for the energy, but that is something that we cannot control, we don’t have any power regarding that, we don’t decide the rules.”
“So, for us what we can control is our energy, so we are trying to focus on that, and that is the basic thing in everybody’s mind right now, that how do we prepare.
“We are in the best frame of mind, even if crowds are not there, so how do we keep that energy up. And with that, obviously, as I said, it is a big, big day, a big match for Virat Kohli,” added Bumrah.
In 99 Tests so far, Virat Kohli has amassed 7962 runs at an average of 50.39 with 27 centuries and 28 fifties. He led India in 68 Tests, registering 40 wins, 11 draws and 17 losses.
(With PTI inputs)
