On the occasion of his 100th test match, Virat Kohli said that he’s happy that despite the workload of all three formats, he managed to reach the landmark of the 100th match in the longest format. Right before the beginning of the test match, coach Rahul Dravid felicitated him with a special Test cap for his milestone.
His wife Anushka Sharma and the whole team were also present during the felicitation. On this occasion, Rahul Dravid delivered a special message for the 33-year old.
Virat Kohli made his Test debut in 2011
“It’s a testament to everything that is great in our sport… sweat, discipline, courage, skill, determination, desire, focus, you had it all. You had a great journey. You can be very proud of not only playing the 100th Test match but also for the great journey that you have navigated through. Congratulations to you and your family on this fantastic achievement. It’s well deserved, well earned, and hopefully, it is just the start of many things to come. As we say in the dressing room, double it up,” Dravid said.
Coincidentally when Kohli walked out to bat for the first time in red-ball cricket for India in 2011, Rahul Dravid was his batting partner at the other end. Kohli highlighted that playing 100 Test matches when there is so much cricket, makes it a special moment for him. He urged the upcoming generation to prioritize red-ball cricket.
“It is a special moment for me. My wife is here and so is my brother. Everyone is very proud. It is indeed a team game and it couldn’t have been possible without you. Thanks to the BCCI as well. In present-day cricket, with the amount we play with three formats and an IPL, the one takeaway the next generation can take from me is that I played 100 games in the purest format,” he added.
Kohli also recalled his first interaction with coach Rahul Dravid in his U-15 days when he took a picture with him (Dravid).
#TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid presents @imVkohli with his 100th baggy blue to commemorate his 100th appearance in whites.#VK100 | #INDvSL | @Paytm pic.twitter.com/PVFhsbe4Rj
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 4, 2022
“I couldn’t have received it from a better person (Rahul Dravid), one of my childhood heroes. I still have the picture in my house from my U-15 NCA days, when I was looking at you while getting a picture with you! Today, I get my 100th Test cap from you, so indeed it has been a great journey and one that continues to grow hopefully,” Kohli concluded.
Kohli became the 12th Indian player to represent India in 100 matches in the red-ball format. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly, Dilip Vengasarkar, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma are others in the special club.
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