Virat Kohli’s 500th international match is on Thursday on the 2nd Test of the West Indies tour 2023.
Virat Kohli’s 500th international match
Virat Kohli has scored 76 runs out of 182 deliveries smashing five boundaries as India defeated West Indies by an innings and 141 runs in 1st Test match.
In a recent press conference, the head coach of an Indian team Rahul Dravid said Virat Kohli is a real inspiration for many young players. The Indian cricket team is set to face West Indies in the second Test match at the Queens Park Oval track in Port of Spain on Thursday.
Rahul Dravid Said, “Virat is a real inspiration to so many players, in the team as well many players look up to him. Obviously, his numbers and stats speak for themselves it’s all in the books. The effort and work that he puts in behind the scene when no one is watching is incredible.
I think that has carried him to play 500 games, he is very fit and still going very strong. That’s not easy, he has made a lot of sacrifices and put in a lot of hard work.”
He added, “It’s nice to see Virat’s journey. He has come a long way. Over the last 18 months, I’ve got to know him personally, and I have learned a lot from him.”
By the 2nd Test match on West Indies, India will complete 100 Test matches being played between India and West Indies.
On speaking about it Rahul Dravid, “It’s a great occasion to play the 100th Test match between West Indies and India. Two great cricketing nations which have been successful. Both countries have great passions for cricket.
I know growing up, admiring West Indies players. Some great players have played brilliant cricket over these 100 tests. It’s a special occasion to be a part of.”
West Indies on World Cup Qualifiers 2023
On speaking about the failure of the West Indies in World Cup Qualifiers 2023, “The pressure and the challenge the current West Indies team face is that they are always compared to the great West Indies team in the 80s and 90s.
The team led by Clive Lloyd and Viv Richard, that West Indian team was incredible and the current generation of West Indies is always compared to it.”
Dravid further said, “It is nice to see a team like the Netherlands qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup. I congratulate them for their achievement it would be nice to see them in India. Not having West Indies in the World Cup who are the inaugural champions of the edition, not to have them there is a great loss.”
Dravid added, “India and West Indies have a great connection. It was the West Indies that India beat in 1983 which signalled the insurgence of cricket in India. 83 was a big landmark for Indian cricket, especially for me I was a young kid 10 years old, and it was a great moment.”
“Fantastic to see Brian Lara getting involved with the West Indian team, he has great knowledge and he can help them get back on track. I don’t see why West Indies couldn’t get back on track with the correct resources and infrastructure,” he said.
Rahul Dravid praises Young players Yashasvi and Shubman Gill
The Indian cricket team coach Rahul Dravid said, “I think the team we have right now is very much balanced. It gives us the opportunity to place against any conditions. I don’t see us making too many changes unless we are forced to.”
“I think it’s a tribute to our domestic system, that a lot of young players are able to come in and perform straight away when they come to the Indian team. A lot of credit goes to the domestic system, especially to the batting department.”
“Yashasvi (Jaiswal) is a good player, Shubman (Gill) has grown over the last 6-8 months, and Ishan (Kishan) has also kept well in the last test. It’s great to see such talent come from our nations.”
“It is going to get tougher for players like Yashasvi and Gill as they grow. Like in the 2nd Test against West Indies, they are going to come up with different tactics for Yashasvi and he needs to find a way to tackle them well. As a young player, once you start performing well, teams come up with different plans.”
Rahul Dravid concluded by saying, “Yeah, I know our first game, we play against Pakistan and then Nepal. We have to qualify for Super 4 in order to play Pakistan three times, but I don’t believe in counting my chickens too much I take one step at a time. If we get the opportunity to play them three times it’s fantastic.”
