"I hope Virat Kohli celebrates his 100th Test with a 100" - Sunil Gavaskar
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar has heaped praise on former Indian skipper Virat Kohli ahead of his 100th Test appearance. Calling him 'a fabulous Test player', Gavaskar has backed the 33-year-old to amass a century in his milestone game against Sri Lanka at Mohali.
"It's a very special feeling" - Sunil Gavaskar on playing 100 Test matches
Speaking to Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar opened up about Virat Kohli's achievements and how special it is for a cricketer to appear in 100 Test matches.
The Mumbaikar said:
"Well, I can only say that it is going to be a sense of achievement. When you start playing cricket as a school kid, you want to play for India and hoping that you play for India for a certain while and suddenly you know, success comes to you and then you go on from year to year and then the 100th Test comes to you."
"It's a very special feeling. And look at what he has achieved in all format of the game, not just Test cricket, where he has been fabulous."
The former Indian captain further added that he is hoping Virat Kohli will join the elite list of players who have scored a century in their 100th Test match.
The 72-year-old said:
"And I hope he celebrates his 100th Test with a 100. No many batsman has done that. I know Colin Cowdrey, who was probably the first to play 100 Test matches, scored a hundred in his 100th Test. I know Javed Miandad has done it. Alex Stewart has down it."
Reminiscing about his dismissal during the 100th Test, Gavaskar, who has scored 10122 runs in 125 Test matches, said:
"Lots of batsman have played 100 Tests but did not get a hundred in that Test match. I clipped a half volley to square leg when I was batting on 48. Can you believe it, on 48? Simple catch that was."
Test squad - Rohit Sharma (C), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath, R Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Jasprit Bumrah (VC).
Though fans won't be allowed inside the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium due to Covid-19, the entire city of Mohali is decked up to celebrate the special occasion. Like Sunil Gavaskar, Indian cricket fans are eagerly expecting Virat Kohli to come up with something special in this landmark Test match, which begins on March 4.
The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named @ImRo45 as #TeamIndia's Test Captain. https://t.co/GaIUZDthtf
The upcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka will be the first Test assignment for newly appointed Test skipper Rohit Sharma, who has taken over the reins from India's most successful Test captain - Virat Kohli.