Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has applauded Virat Kohli for his hard work and dedication as the latter prepares to play his 500th international game as well. However, he referred to the 34-year-old as an inspiration to many players in the recent team as well as upcoming talents in the country as well.
However, Virat Kohli will play his 500th international match when India take on West Indies in the second Test of the two-match Test series at Port of Spain in Trinidad, beginning on Thursday, July 20. He has so far played 110 Tests, 274 ODIs, and 115 T20Is as well.
At a press conference ahead of the second Test, Dravid said, “I didn’t know that this is his 500th game. I am not a great one for numbers. It’s great to hear that. It’s fantastic; he’s a real inspiration to so many players within this team without a doubt and to so many boys and girls back home in India. His numbers and his stats speak for themselves – it’s all there in the book. For me, what’s been great to see first-hand has been the effort and the work that he puts in behind the scenes when no one is watching. That is reflected in the fact that he has been able to play 500 games.”
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While saying that he is still going strong, Rahul Dravid named the energy and enthusiasm that Virat Kohli brings to the game as truly fantastic despite being played 500 matches as well. However, Kohli is India’s second-highest run-getter in international cricket, having scored 25,461 runs at an average of 53.48, with 75 tons and 131 fifties.
“That’s not come easy, that’s come because of a lot of hard work behind the scenes, a lot of sacrifices that he has made throughout his career and he’s willing to continue to make. That’s something that is great for a coach because you can see a lot of young players will look to that and be inspired by that,” Dravid continued.
However, Dravid is hopeful that a lot of young players will look up to Kohli as an inspiration and they will follow his path.
He again stated: “You don’t have to say anything. Just by the way you conduct yourself, the way you go about practices, your fitness, [that] becomes an inspiration for a lot of other young players who are coming through the system. Hopefully, they follow that and they are inspired by Virat to play so many games. Longevity comes with a lot of hard work, discipline, adaptability. He’s shown all of that, so long may it continue.”
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However, Rahul Dravid also added that he has enjoyed getting to know Kohli personally during his ongoing stint as head coach. Notably, Kohli scored 76 off 182 balls as India beat West Indies by an innings and 141 runs in the Dominica Test as well.
“It’s nice to see his journey. When I played, he was a youngster coming through. To get to know him personally as well over the last 18 months, it’s been good fun. I’ve really enjoyed it and I hope he has as well. I’ve learnt a lot from him,” he concluded.
