Legendary Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, head coach of the Indian cricket team Rahul Dravid and the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly paid heartfelt tributes and wished luck to the former Indian captain Virat Kohli while welcoming him to the “100-Test club.”
The talismanic batter is all set to add another feather in his hat as Virat Kohli’s 100th Test match is scheduled to be played in Mohali on March 4 against Sri Lanka. Virat Kohli has donned the white jersey in 99 Test matches for team India and will be eager to give his best on the field for the 100th time on Friday in Mohali where India will take on Sri Lanka in the first Test match.
Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, who is the only cricketer to have played 200 Tests games, revealed he had first heard of Virat when the latter was leading the Indian side in the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia in 2008.
“I remember the first time I heard about you was when we were in Australia in 2007 (2008),” said Tendulkar. “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)”
He added: “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. “
Further, Sachin Tendulkar went on to call him a terrific role model and also highlighted what one of his biggest contributions to Indian cricket is. He said:
“You’ve been a terrific role model as far as fitness is concerned. But your real strength is that you’ve been able to motivate the next generation. That’s your immense contribution to Indian cricket,”
“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,”
BCCI via their official Twitter handle shared a heartfelt video paying their tribute to Virat Kohli and wished him ahead of his milestone Test. Sharing the video, the BCCI wrote:
“Welcome to the 100-Test club Virat Kohli. #TeamIndia greats share their thoughts on @imVkohli’s landmark Test, his achievements & the impact he’s had on Indian cricket.”
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Welcome to the 1⃣0⃣0⃣-Test club Virat Kohli ? ?#TeamIndia greats share their thoughts on @imVkohli‘s landmark Test, his achievements & the impact he’s had on Indian cricket. ? ?
Watch the full feature ? ?https://t.co/m135xwB2zt pic.twitter.com/gzN71BZnCn
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 2, 2022
Meanwhile, in the view of Virat Kohli’s 100th Test match, the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) has recently changed its stance on allowing fans at the stadium.
