Virat Kohli will play his 100th test match against Sri Lanka in Mohali in the first of a two-match test series in Mohali, which begins on March 4. Sachin Tendulkar congratulated him on his special milestone in red ball cricket and praised him for inspiring the next generation.
Kohli debuted at the Tests in 2011 and has not looked back ever since. He captained India between 2014 and 2021 and collected almost 8,000 runs in 99 test matches with a phenomenal average of 50.39 using 27 hundreds and 28 half-centuries.
While the former Indian captain will feature in the special club, legendary cricketer and Kohli’s Idol Sachin Tendulkar has shared an inspiring message for the 33-year-old. Tendulkar recalls the time he first heard about Kohli when the latter was leading U19 in Malaysia. Mumbaikar revealed that some players on the national side who had traveled to Australia we talking about Kohli.
“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 about you. ‘This is one player to watch out for. Achhi batting kar raha hai (He is batting well)’,” said Tendulkar in a video posted by BCCI.
Tendulkar said that although he hasn’t played enough with Kohli, but he admires Kohli’s ability to learn things fast. Master Blaster feels that Kohli’s real strength is to inspire the next generation, and this is his greatest contribution to cricket in India.
Read More:- Virat Kohli explains decision to quit RCB captaincy: There’s nothing to be shocked about
“After that, we played cricket together for India. Not for long, but whatever time we spent together, it was evident that you were good at learning things. You wanted to keep working on your game and continue getting better. You have been a terrific role model as far as fitness is concerned, obviously.
“But your real strength is that you have been able to motivate the next generation. That is your immense contribution to Indian cricket. It has been fantastic to watch you over the years. Congratulations on your 100th Test appearance for India, what a terrific achievement. I wish you many more happy cricketing years. Go out and do well,” added Tendulkar.
Here is the video:
The Master Blaster @sachin_rt congratulates @imVkohli on his milestone.
Listen in to that special anecdote from 2011.#VK100 pic.twitter.com/nDPsLDq3Fr
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 3, 2022
