The entire world cricket is acquaitef of Virat Kohli's aggression and what impact he poses on the opponent bowlers. Sledging and provoking fast bowlers is something that Virat likes doing to up his game and it has significantly helped him to become a stature of player who he is now. Cricket legend and India's former captain Sunil Gavaskar also find his thingking in the same line while comparing Virat with the Pakistani great Javed Miandad who also had the same traits.
Gavaskar said that former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad was one of the few players who, like Kohli, liked to provoke fast bowlers.
"To provoke a fast bowler takes something else. Kohli is one of the rare batters who likes to sledge bowlers. He has been different, he likes to get under their skin. He is like Javed Miandad in that sense. His progress has been phenomenal, the consistency with which he has played, the 100th Test and beyond should be more of the same," said the 72-year-old.
The 'Man of Milestone' Virat has followed the same template and achieved a lot in his career which has hugely benefitted the Indian cricket in particular.
Meanwhile, as India are playing their first Test match agianst Sri Lanka in Mohali on Friday (February 4), Virat has become only the 12th Indian cricketer to play 100 Tests.
Gavaskar said that playing 100 Tests itself means that the player has had a successful career.
"Playing 100 Tests for your country is an incredible feeling, all of us when we were kids playing in the compounds of our house, we dream of playing for India. After playing for the country and you come to your 100th Test, it is an incredible feeling. Reaching the 100th Test means you have played for the country very successfully. No career will be smooth, there will be highs and lows," said Gavaskar in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of BCCI.
The match was initially going to be played behind closed doors but 50 per cent of the stadium has been opened up to fans since then.
"Whether Kohli is fielding or going out to bat, the crowd will lift him up. That is what crowds do, especially when it is a home crowd. Everyone will be wanting him to get a hundred in his 100th Test. His has been an incredible journey, I remember him making his debut in the West Indies in 2011, even there you could see a fire in him," he added.
Not just this, but the world's highly touted batter will have an opportunity to place his name alongside the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman. Virat is just 38 runs short of achieving a 8000-run mark in the red-ball format of the game. If he manages to score 38 runs in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali, he will become only the sixth India to do so and will join the elite list which is well adorned with the aforementioned India legends.
He will also become the fifth fastest Indian to achieve the milestone behind Sachin Tendulkar (154 innings), Rahul Dravid (158 innings) Virender Sehwag (160 innings) and Sunil Gavaskar (166 innings). So far, Kohli has played in 168 innings.
