Indian Veteran wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik feels that Virat Kohli has got the hunger to perform for the team just like he is playing his fifth match in International Cricket despite playing his 500th game on the International stage. The 34-year-old remains unbeaten on 87* for the Indian team in the ongoing second test against West Indies and also will look to hit his long-awaited overseas century.
Virat Kohli is playing his 500th International game for India having made his debut way back in 2008 and the former Indian skipper has been a mainstay in the Indian middle order since his maiden appearance for the Indian team in International Cricket.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik lauded the Indian batting maestro for his shot selection against the West Indies in the 2nd test and reckons that he has played the game with more intent despite playing his 500th International game and added he has done well for the team even in the 1st test where the shot-making was difficult on the first test at Dominica.
“We can all say about the lovely shots that he (Virat Kohli) played, the cover drives, and the pulls. But what was really good for me was what happened between his ears. Here is a man playing his 500th match, but he played it like it was his fifth match”.
“That hunger, on a pitch that probably really didn’t aid stroke-making, he fought through it. We saw that in the first Test as well, and we are seeing it again now,” Dinesh Karthik said.
Virat Kohli has produced some brilliant performances for the Indian team in International Cricket, as he played some outstanding cricket all around the world in tough conditions to establish himself as one of the top cricketers in International cricket.
Not At His Fluent Best, But Virat Kohli Made It Count – Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik recalled the words of Team India head coach Rahul Dravid, who spoke about the respect and sacrifices of the prolific Indian batter throughout his career and believes that even though he wasn’t at his best in the innings he tried to play those tough balls in the middle making sure that he is mentally they to score big runs for the India team.
“If you heard Rahul Dravid speak about him, the two things that he said were respect and his sacrifices, You can see that shining through in this innings yet again.
“Not at his fluent best, for sure, but he made it count. Just making sure that he stood there. Played those tough balls out. Even if he could play a million shots, just making sure that he is mentally there, just making it count for Team India,” Dinesh Karthik added.
India batted brilliantly well in the 1st innings, with Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal providing a fantastic start to the innings scoring 139 runs for the opening wicket followed by Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja putting a partnership to take India to 288-4 at the end of Day 1’s play and India will look to post massive total in first innings to take the game away from the Men in Maroon on Day 2.