Virat Kohli’s achievement as a cricketer is surreal, to say the least. He has taken Indian cricket to greater heights with his batting and captaincy over the years.
Kohli has represented India in 110 Tests, 274 ODIs and 115 T20Is so far, amassing more than 25000 international runs with 75 centuries. He led India in 213 matches across formats and won 135 of them. His success rate as Indian captain is one of the best in the history of cricket.
Widely regarded as one of the finest cricketers of the modern era, Kohli will add another feather to his illustrious cap when he takes the field in the second against West Indies at Queen’s Park Oval on Thursday (July 20).
Virat will become only the fourth Indian cricketer to take part in 500 international games, joining an elite list featuring legendary names such as Sachin Tendulkar (664), MS Dhoni (538) and Rahul Dravid (509).
Ahead of Kohli’s landmark game, India head coach Dravid showered rich praise on him, saying that the star batter’s passion for the game and hard work behind the scenes have helped him achieve numerous milestones.
“I think it’s fantastic and he is a real inspiration to so many players within this team without a doubt and to so many people boys and girls back home in India. His numbers and his stats speak for themselves, it’s all there in the books,” Dravid said, as quoted by CricketNext.
“What has been great is to see the efforts and the work that he puts in behind the scenes when no one is watching. I think, that has reflected in the fact that he has been able to play 500 games are still going very strong, very fit, and the energy he brings to the game in spite of playing 500 games and being around here for 12-13 years. It is truly fantastic. And that’s not come easy,” he added.
The chief coach also acknowledged the sacrifices that Kohli has been making and inspiring the younger generation.
“That’s come because of a lot of hard work behind the scenes. A lot of sacrifices that he has made through his career and is willing to continue to make. And that’s a great thing for a coach because a lot of young players will look to that and get inspired. You don’t have to say anything but just the way you conduct yourself the way you carry yourself, the way you go about practices is the way you go about your fitness is an inspiration for a lot of other young players who are coming to the system. Longevity comes with a lot of hard work, discipline, and adaptability and he has shown all of that,” he remarked.
Before he became the coach of the Indian team, Dravid shared the dressing room with Kohli from 2008 to 2012.
Talking about his bonding with Kohli, Dravid said: “When I first played, he was a youngster coming through. I was not really involved in the team as such. I watched him from the outside with a lot of admiration for what he has done and what he continues to achieve.”
“And now to be able to get to know him over the last 12 to 18 months, to interact with him, to get to know him personally as well and good, it’s been good fun. I learnt a lot from him and in a lot of ways I really enjoyed it, and hope he has as well,” he stated.
