The Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma hailed the journey of Virat Kohli in Test cricket and said that the team will look to make his 100th Test match special for him in Mohali. As India will be locking horns with Sri Lanka in the series opener in Mohali, former captain Kohli will feature in his 100th Test and Rohit will lead India in a Test match for the first time in his decorated career.
During a pre-match press conference, as per the quotes in India Today, Rohit Sharma said “It has been a long journey for him and it has been a wonderful one. He has done exceedingly well in this format, he has changed so many things in the way the team is moving forward. It has been one hell of a ride for him and it will continue to be in the coming years.”
He further added, “We definitely want to make it special for him, let’s hope we have good five days of cricket. As a team, the series we won in Australia in 2018, was a very good series for our side and Virat was captain then. As an individual, the best memory as a batter, his Test hundred in South Africa in 2013, the pitch was challenging and there was a lot of bounce.”
Further talking about that knock in 2013, Rohit Sharma said: “Lot of guys were playing in South Africa for the first time, to face the likes of Morkel, Steyn, it was never going to be easy but the way Virat batted in the first innings and second, it was one of the best knocks of his that I clearly remember. This beats his knock in Perth.”
Rohit Sharma further added that a lot of credit for whatever the Indian team has achieved in the longest format of the game in recent times goes to Kohli. Virat Kohli has come a long way since making his debut in the longest format way back in 2011 against West Indies.
With fans up to 50 percent capacity set to be allowed at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, Virat Kohli’s landmark Test will be expected to have a festive outlook. The PCA officials have said that Kohli will be felicitated by the state association and BCCI officials have also been invited for the Test, which will kick off the 2-Test series against Sri Lanka.
Talking about the game further, Rohit Sharma said, “I am looking forward to just winning games and doing the right things with the right players in the squad. As a Test team, we at the moment stand in a very good position, credit goes to Virat for getting us going in this format. What he did with the Test team was brilliant to see, I have to just take it forward from where he left.”
He further added, “We are midway in the WTC table, I do not see we have anything wrong in this format, we want to improve every game we play, that is going to be the benchmark we set for ourselves. We look forward to correcting our mistakes, no team is perfect.”
