Cricket legend, Sunil Gavaskar took a walk down the memory lane to recall former India captain, Virat Kohli's Test debut in 2011, as he is set to play his 100th Test match against Sri Lanka in Mohali on Friday.
Kohli made his Test debut against the West Indies in Kingston and struggled to score runs in his first match, being dismissed for only 4 and 15 runs. He was up against Fidel Edwards, who at the time was one of the fastest bowlers in the world.
Gavaskar recalled Kohli's Test debut, with Edwards staring at him after bowling a bouncer, and in response, he blew kisses through the helmet to him. The incident, according to him, demonstrated Kohli's self-belief and bravery even at such a young age.
“It has been a fabulous journey. Even in his debut series, he wasn’t afraid to take on the opposition. I don’t know how many of you recall when way back in 2011, he made his Test debut. Fidel Edwards was bouncing him and he was ducking them. After that Edwards stared at Virat and Kohli in return was blowing kisses to him through the grille of the helmet.
For a newcomer to be dealing that way with one of the fastest bowlers in the world – Fidel Edwards was quick. He was 145 plus – that told you about the young man’s belief in himself and the guts that he showed. Since then, it has only been an upward curve as far as his career in concerned,” said Gavaskar while speaking to Sports Today.
Gavaskar went on to praise Kohli's consistency, saying that even though he hasn't scored a century in a while, the 33-year-old has been scoring 70s and 80s at regular intervals.
“I think his overall consistency has been remarkable. He just had a blip in 2014 but apart from that he hasn’t had a bad series at all which is remarkable. Because he hasn’t had ordinary series. He has had an excellent, very good or good series. Although he hasn’t got hundreds of late, he has got 70s and 80s," he added.
The BCCI's plan to allow 50% spectators for Kohli's historic Test match in Mohali was also supported by the Indian batting legend.
“I would think that the situation changed. It was a question of the general interest of the majority. We have seen that despite allowing crowds, hardly anybody is wearing masks. So we are not taking care. And that was the worry when there was news that Mohali had some cases. That is why perhaps there were no crowds allowed. But now it seems that the situation has improved and 50 percent more people are coming in. This is fantastic news because any performer wants to perform in front of the crowd, where he will be appreciated,” he said.
Kohli has scored 7962 runs in 99 Tests, including 27 centuries and 28 half-centuries. Kohli will also try to join the 8,000-run club in his 100th Test and break the century jinx that has held him back in recent years.
