"Never thought that I'll play 100 Test matches" - Virat Kohli ahead of IND vs SL 1st Test
India and Sri Lanka are set to battle it out in their Test series opener at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali from March 4. There has been significant buzz over the encounter amongst the masses as it will be Virat Kohli's 100th Test match.
Ahead of the highly-anticipated contest, BCCI shared a video on social media in which Kohli spoke of his journey. The right-handed batter mentioned that he never imagined that he would play 100 Test matches for India.
The champion cricketer highlighted how he has played a lot of international cricket and has had to work very hard on his fitness to be able to do so. Kohli stated that it was a huge moment for him and his family and he is grateful to be on the cusp of accomplishing such a tremendous milestone.
Kohli said:
"I honestly never thought that I'll play 100 Test matches. It's been a long journey, played a lot of cricket over the course of playing these 100 Test matches and a lot of international cricket. I'm just grateful that I've been able to make it to 100. God has been kind. I have worked really hard on my fitness and it's a big moment for me and my family. My coach too, who is also very happy and proud of this Test match. It's a very very special moment."
It is worth mentioning that Kohli will become the 71st player overall and the 12th Indian to play 100 Test matches. The 33-year-old has contributed significantly towards the success of the team in the format, both as captain and as a player.
Many fans and experts alike have termed the player's endorsement of Test cricket as massive. Kohli, in the video, also spoke about his fascination with the longer format.
'I never thought i'll play 100 Test matches. It has been a long journey. Grateful that i've been able to make it to 100' - @imVkohli on his landmark Test.
Full interview coming up on BCCI.TV. Stay tuned!
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"I just felt like Test cricket needed to stay alive" - Virat Kohli
The former India skipper revealed that he has always wanted to score big runs and bat for long periods of time, ever since junior cricket. He stated that red-ball cricket tests the true character of a cricketer and underlined that he has relished the challenges of playing the format.
He added:
"I personally never grew up thinking that I have to score small runs. The idea was to score huge runs. I scored a log of big double hundreds in junior cricket, I think somewhat about 7 to 8 before I made it to the first-class level. So my idea was basically to bat long, as long as I could.I used to really enjoy batting for long periods of time and really bat sessions and try to win a game of cricket for my team, try to get 2 points, or 1st innings lead."
Kohli added:
"These things were things that really took a lot out of you and revealed your true character and tested your true character and something that I thoroughly enjoyed. I just felt like Test cricket needed to stay alive because people need to experience this. This is for me is real cricket."
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Kohli has 7962 runs to his name from 99 Tests. He boosts of a healthy average of 50.4 in the format and has 27 hundreds and 28 half centuries to his name.