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'His numbers, stats... it's there in the book. For me...': Dravid's colossal verdict as Kohli gears up for 500th match
Virat Kohli will appear in his 500th international match on Thursday as India take on West Indies in the second Test in Port of Spain.
Team India's star batter Virat Kohli will reach a major milestone on Thursday when he will become the only 10th player to reach 500 international matches. Kohli will achieve the feat in the second and final Test of the series against West Indies, and will join Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and current head coach Rahul Dravid as the fourth to play 500 games for India. Kohli had made his debut in 2008, and will likely be the only player in the history of the game to boast of an average of 50+ in 500 or more games.
Over the past year, the 34-year-old former Indian captain endured a rough patch in international cricket with Kohli even taking a break for a month in August last year. However, he made a resounding comeback a month later in the Asia Cup, and never looked back since. Since raking up his maiden century in T20Is in the continental tournament, Kohli added three more tons to his name, with his last coming against Australia during a Test in March earlier this year.
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Fans, though, are habituated to see Kohli scoring daddy hundreds at a more regular pace and thus, will be hoping that the batter will mark his 500th international appearance with a three-figure mark. India's head coach Rahul Dravid, though, stated that he prefers to look beyond the stats and instead chooses to focus on Kohli's effort and overall impact.
“I didn’t know that this is his 500th game. I am not a great one for numbers. It’s great to hear that. It’s fantastic; he’s a real inspiration to so many players within this team without a doubt and to so many boys and girls back home in India," Dravid said during his interaction wit reporters ahead of the second Test in Port of Spain.
"His numbers and his stats speak for themselves - it’s all there in the book. For me, what’s been great to see first-hand has been the effort and the work that he puts in behind the scenes when no one is watching. That is reflected in the fact that he has been able to play 500 games," he added.
Dravid insisted that Kohli's dedication towards fitness, and the way he conducts himself is an inspiration to his fellow teammates. The former India skipper had brought a fitness revolution of sorts when he took over the leadership role in the Indian team; it's no surprise that some of the side's most successful periods in the longest format of the game came under Kohli. The side won an away series in Australia, had an exemplary record at home, and left England with a 2-1 lead in 2021 before the fifth match was postponed, eventually being played under Jasprit Bumrah's captaincy after Kohli stepped down from the role the following year.
“That’s not come easy, that’s come because of a lot of hard work behind the scenes, a lot of sacrifices that he has made throughout his career and he’s willing to continue to make. That’s something that is great for a coach because you can see a lot of young players will look to that and be inspired by that,” Dravid continued.
“You don’t have to say anything. Just by the way you conduct yourself, the way you go about practices, your fitness, [that] becomes an inspiration for a lot of other young players who are coming through the system. Hopefully, they follow that and they are inspired by Virat to play so many games. Longevity comes with a lot of hard work, discipline, adaptability. He’s shown all of that, so long may it continue."
