Virat Kohli is making his 100th Test appearance in the first game of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka at Mohali on Friday (March 4).

Ahead of the game, Kohli said his prime focus is to win games for the country. The former India skipper further said he has given his heart and soul to Test cricket and still gets butterflies in stomach before every match.

In 99 Tests so far, Virat has aggregated 7962 runs at an average of 50.39 with 27 centuries and 28 fifties.

"Life is unpredictable in many beautiful ways and I don't think that we should put any restrictions on life in terms of how many amazing moments you can witness in the future," Kohli said in an interview with BCCI.tv on the eve of the landmark match.

"You have no idea what the future holds. So it's best not to panic or not to get demotivated by what might not happen, because my career and my life is an example that anything is possible."

Virat Kohli’s 100th Test match was earlier scheduled to be played behind closed doors, but BCCI on Tuesday (March 1) announced that the gates will be opened for the spectators due to improving COVID-19 situation.

"I hear crowds have been allowed as well. It's going to be a special morning. I mean I wouldn't lie. There will be some butterflies," Kohli said.

"There have to be butterflies till the last game you play for India. Once those butterflies are gone, you know it's time. They have remained for a long period of time and they continue to be. And this Test will be no different," he added.

Kohli has joined an elite list featuring Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma, all of whom played 100 Tests.

"It feels surreal, I never imagined I would play 100 Tests for India. It's been a long journey, played a lot of cricket over the course of playing these 100 Tests, a lot of International cricket.

“Knowing the amount of Tests that we play in today's day and age, God's been kind. I have worked really hard on my fitness and it's a big moment for me, my family and coach. So yeah, it's a very, very special moment," he added.

Earlier this year, Virat stepped down as Test captain following the 2-1 series loss to South Africa. He led the side for seven years with tremendous success, registering 40 wins from 68 Tests. Only Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh have won more matches than him as captain in Test cricket.

The highlight of Kohli’s captaincy tenure was the Test series victory in Australia in 2018-19 and making it into the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final. He also led India to two Test series wins in West Indies and Sri Lanka. Under his captaincy, Team India were leading 2-1 in England last year before the series got postponed due to COVID cases in the visiting camp.

"If you have a bigger impact on your environment. It's a matter of pride and really something to feel blessed about because this opportunity comes very rarely to people and I was blessed with this opportunity.

"I've given my heart and soul to this format. I've had the privilege...and I have done my job to the best of my abilities. I have fulfilled my responsibilities."

When Kohli took charge of the Test side, Team India were at No.7 in the ICC rankings and by the time he relinquished the position, India finished five years in a row as numero uno Test team.

"I clearly remember when I took over the Test captaincy, I had this vision for the team that we need to play in a certain kind of way and we ended up achieving that five years in a row, so immensely proud.

"It was something magical to be a part of you entered the change room and you knew that you could win anywhere and that feeling was so empowering," he said.

Reflecting on his maiden Test ton against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in 2012, Kohli said: "I think my first Test 100 is something that I remember very fondly and it's very fresh in my memory still. That is one day that will always be very, very special to me. And also, knowing the fact that it came in Australia, made it much more special.

"For a young guy wanting to establish himself in Test cricket, that first 100 to come in Australia was something that really boosted my confidence. If you see my career, it really took off from there. My confidence grew leaps and bounds," he added.

Speaking about his fond memories, he said: "From 2015 to 2020, there were five-six years, the kind of cricket we played, each one of those tours or each one of those games is a special memory in itself.

"We've had some tough losses, we've had some amazing comebacks. I'm immensely proud of the whole phase.

"I can't pinpoint one memory. I mean, it'd be wrong for me to point out a series win in Australia or, you know, coming out of England 2-1 potentially getting the trophy back with us."