Team India’s Head Coach Rahul Dravid praised Virat Kohli as an Inspiration for Many Cricketers due to his plenty of achievements and work ethic that he performs.
Rahul Dravid on Kohli’s 500th Intl. Match
On this day (20th July 2023, Thursday), Virat Kohli is about to play his 500th International Match when he takes the field on the Second and Final test against West Indies at the Queen’s Park Oval. With this feet, he becomes the 4th Indian to play the 500th International Match in Cricket History.
On the eve of the Test Dravid says, “Virat Kohli’s numbers and his stats speak for themselves; it’s all there in the books. He is a real inspiration to so many players within this team, without a doubt, and to so many people, boys and girls back home in India”
Also added that, “It’s nice to see Virat’s journey. When I first played, he was a youngster coming through. I was not really involved with the team as such. I watched him from the outside with a lot of admiration for what he has done and what he continues to achieve.”
Kohli’s longevity and achievements in all three formats were a result of “behind the scenes” sacrifices and hard work, says the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team – Rahul Dravid.
“I didn’t know that this was Virat Kohli’s 500th game. For me, what has been great is to see the efforts and the work that he puts in behind the scenes when no one is watching. And that’s great for a coach because a lot of young players will look to that and get inspired.”
“That has reflected in the fact that he has been able to play 500 games, is still going very strong, very fit, and the energy he brings to the game and being around for 12-13 years now, that’s truly fantastic. And it does not come easy.
“You don’t have to say anything, but just the way you conduct yourself—the way you carry yourself, the way you go about practice (sessions), the way you go about your fitness—becomes an inspiration for a lot of other young players who are coming to the system.”
It is worth mentioning that Viart Kohli holds the record for scoring the most runs by any cricketer after playing 499 international matches. Kohli leads the list with 25,461 runs followed by Australia’s Ricky Ponting(24,991) and India’s Sachin Tendulkar(24,839).
Virat Kohli will play his 500th international match against West Indies at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad
