India’s captain Rohit Sharma has stated that they want to make Virat Kohli’s 100th Test match special for the talismanic batter.
Kohli has been doing a fine job for the Indian team in the Test format and the team will look to make it memorable for the veteran.
Kohli has taken India’s Test team to new heights and had done exceedingly well as a leader as well as a captain. The former skipper led India to 40 Test wins in 68 Test matches, out of which 16 victories came in the tough overseas conditions.
Furthermore, the leadership got the best out of Kohli as he scored 5864 runs in 68 matches at an average of 54.80 and thus led from the front as a Test captain.
Kohli was able to imbibe a new fitness culture within the team and India’s pace battery took giant strides under his leadership in the red-ball version.
“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,” said Rohit during a virtual press conference.
Rohit rated Virat Kohli’s century against South Africa in 2013 as one of his best knocks. Kohli had scored 119 runs in the first Test match at the Wanderers against the likes of Dale Steyn Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and Jacques Kallis.
“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,” he added.
Rohit 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.
Kohli will look to bring his best in his 100th Test match against Sri Lanka. Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah stated that a win will be the best gift that the team can give to Virat Kohli in his landmark Test match.
The first Test match against Sri Lanka will be played in Mohali from Friday.
