The veteran Indian fast bowler, Ishant Sharma will be playing his 100th Test when India takes on England at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. Ahead of the fast bowler’s milestone game, skipper, Virat Kohli opened up about his relationship with the lanky pacer and even narrated an incident from when Ishant got his first-ever call-up for the national squad.

Talking about the same during a virtual press conference on Tuesday, Virat Kohli said, “Ishant started playing state cricket with me. We used to be roommates for a long time for state cricket, Ranji cricket. When he got selected for India, he was fast asleep in the afternoon and I had to kick him and wake him up to give him the news.”

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Expressing his happiness for Ishant achieving such a milestone, Virat further added, “That’s how far we go. We have great trust between us. I’ve been very happy to see him enjoy his bowling over the years.”

The India captain also talked about how it is rare for a fast bowler to maintain fitness for such a long period of time and show the kind of longevity that Ishant has – especially in the longest format of the game.

Describing the same, Virat Kohli said, “Great achievement in modern-day cricket to maintain your body like he has and play 100 Tests, it is rare especially among fast bowlers.”

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Kohli also said that Ishant could have prioritized limited-overs cricket, but he has given his full focus to Test cricket. India and England go into the third Test with the series tied at 1-1 and with a place in the World Test Championship final on the line.