Mohali: Virat Kohli is all set to feature in his 100th Test match in the first of the two-match series against Sri Lanka starting Friday.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly praised Virat for his contributions to Indian cricket.
“To begin with, you need to be a very good player to get there. Very few people in Indian cricket have played 100 Test matches. It’s a fantastic landmark. Virat is a great player and deserves every bit of it,” Ganguly told Hindustan Times.
“Expectations will always be there when you play at this level. I don’t compare different generations. But whatever number he has batted, whether it is No.4 in Test matches or No.3 in limited-overs cricket, he has batted marvelously,” Ganguly added.
Sachin Tendulkar too passed on his wishes.
“I remember the first time I heard about you was when we were in Australia in 2007 (2008). You guys were playing the U19 World Cup in Malaysia. That is when there were certain players in the team who were discussing you. This is one player to watch out for. Achhi batting kar raha hai (He is batting well)’,” Sachin Tendulkar told the BCCI.
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid said that the former India captain still has many years of cricket left in him.
“It is not easy to play 100 Test matches. Test cricket is not easy. To be able to play one is great, to be able to play 100 is a fantastic achievement. It is something Virat Kohli can be proud of,” Dravid told the BCCI.
“When he played his first Test match I was batting alongside him. It has been incredible to see how he has grown over the last 10 years or so. The way he has grown as a cricketer and a person. He has carried this team for a long time, been the captain for the last five or six years of the last 10 years he has played in. He has always delivered, averages over 50 in 100 Test matches. It is a great achievement for one of India’s greatest players. Just looking at his fitness and where he is, he has a lot more to go and I am sure it is not something that he will be satisfied with,” added Dravid.
