Kolkata: A two-Test series against Sri Lanka, shoe-horned between a white ball series against the Islanders and the Indian Premier League 2022, has now acquired a special ring to it - with the first of them marking the 100th Test appearance of Virat Kohli. The master batter, refreshed after a short break by opting out of the last T20I against the West Indies and then Lanka, has got down to business at the Mohali for the landmark Test commencing on Friday.
In a welcome development late on Tuesday, the BCCI and hosts Punjab Cricket Association decided to reverse their earlier decision to have the Test played behind closed doors - a decision taken in view of the marginal rise in Covid-19 cases in the state.
The local fans will now be able to watch the match, something which will please Rajkumar Sharma, the childhood coach of Kohli who had groomed him since he was a nine-year-old. ‘‘My appeal to the BCCI and PCA is to at least partially open up the stands so that the fans are not altogether deprived of such a momentous occasion,’’ Sharma had remarked earlier in the day.
The hype about the occasion is slowly building up though. It must be of great significance to arguably the finest batter of this generation - given the importance he attaches to the five-day format despite all world of exploits in the white ball game. Kohli is up there in sixth position among India’s all-time high rungetters in Tests cricket and the names ahead of him shows he is in good company - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag. What’s more, he is only the fourth batter after Tendulkar, Dravid and Gavaskar to carry a 50-plus average in Tests.
Speaking to Gulf News over phone, Sharma revealed that excellence in Tests was something which always drove Kohli since his early days. ‘‘See, he is one of the few batters with a 50-plus average in all three formats of the game, but he always agreed to my point of view that Test cricket was the ultimate platform to showcase a batter’s technique and character. I also admire the way he took up the leadership of the team which was then in seventh position and with the help of his team, guided them to number one ranking and the final of first-ever World Test Championship,’’ Sharma said.
The question of drought of Kohli’s international centuries came up, what with his 27th hundred in Tests - and the last one - coming more than two years back back in the Pink Ball Test against Bangladesh in Kolkata. Asked if he agreed that his decorated ward’s habit of chasing deliveries outside the off stump rather than playing close to his body often led to his early exits in recent times, Sharma said: ‘‘I am in touch with him almost every other day. He seems to be enjoying his cricket more now and that’s the most important thing for a performer like him. As far as the talk about his lean patch is concerned, I don’t think any batter who is not in good touch can score a half-century in every second or third game.
I don’t think any batter who is not in good touch can score a half-century in every second or third game. Having said that, I feel that a century will be nice to celebrate the occasion of his 100th Test and I am also looking forward to it like may fans.
‘‘Having said that, I feel that a century will be nice to celebrate the occasion of his 100th Test and I am also looking forward to it like may fans,’’ he said.
Now 33, Kohli the batter certainly has a good four-five years of international cricket left in him. Asked if he needs to cut down on his workload to prolong his career, Sharma came up with an emphatic no. ‘‘He has already done so by stepping down from the captaincy roles, including that in IPL as well. I think this will allow him to play with all the freedom he needs,’’ the Dronacharya awardee coach added.
