Virat Kohli will play his 100th Test match later this week.© AFP
Virat Kohli will play his 100th Test match when India host Sri Lanka in the first of a two-match Test series starting Friday in Mohali. The former India captain will become only the 12th Indian to play 100 Test matches. Kohli, who is currently regarded as one of the world’s best batters, has an opportunity to make the occasion even more special as he is only 38 runs away from completing 8000 runs in the longest format of the game. He is set to become only the sixth Indian joining an elite list comprising greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman.
One of those greats, former India captain Gavaskar, hopes Kohli will achieve another special feat on his 100th Test.
Speaking to Star Sports after India’s T20I series whitewash of Sri Lanka, Gavaskar said, ”I hope he celebrates his 100th Test with a hundred. Not many batsmen have done that. I know Colin Cowdrey, who was probably the first to play 100 Test matches, scored a hundred in his 100th Test. I know Javed Miandad has done it, Alex Stewart has done it.”
Kohli, incidentally, has not scored an international century since 2019.
Gavaskar added that there will be a “sense of achievement” around Kohli’s 100th Test.
Promoted
“It is going to be a sense of achievement. When you start playing cricket as a school kid, you want to play for India and hoping that you play for India for a certain while and suddenly success comes to you and then you go on from year to year and then the 100th Test comes to you.”
India will be favourites to win the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, having never lost to the islanders at home in the sport’s longest format.
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