'You need to be a very good player to get there' - Sourav Ganguly hails Virat Kohli ahead of 100th Test

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has heaped praises on Indian batter Virat Kohli for his contributions to the country in the longer format as the latter will play his 100th Test for India against Sri Lanka at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. Kohli has 7962 runs from 99 Tests so far at an average of 50.4 and he had also been the most successful Indian captain with 40 wins in 68 Tests. The right-hander, however, hasn’t been able to get to the three-figure mark in international cricket since November 2019.

Despite the lean patch, Kohli has been making half-centuries and he is already among the greatest batters to have played the game with 70 international centuries. The 33-year-old faced a similar rough patch in 2014 in England but came back in style with some serious performance over the next five years. Ganguly, who has played for India in 113 Tests, does know the difficulties of playing 100 Tests, and Kohli will become the 12th Indian cricketer to achieve the feat.

Very few people in Indian cricket have played 100 Test matches: Sourav Ganguly

Ganguly reckoned that not every player gets to play 100 Tests and stressed the greatness associated with achieving the feat. He identified about the footwork, positivity, technique of Kohli changed in the next five years since the 2014 England series and compared Kohli to his head coach Rahul Dravid, who had a similar purple patch from 2002 to 2005.

“To begin with, you need to be a very good player to get there. Very few people in Indian cricket have played 100 Test matches. It’s a fantastic landmark. Virat is a great player and deserves every bit of it.” Ganguly told Hindustan Times.com in an exclusive chat.

“His technique, his positivity, his footwork, his balance…I like all of that. Above all, the way Virat changed his game after 2014 in England when he was struggling. I saw that Test series because I was working as a commentator there. And he had a remarkable five years after that. That’s what normally happens. I saw that with Rahul Dravid between 2002 to 2005. You see great players having these phases where they are at their peak. Sachin had many.” he added.

Rohit Sharma will be leading the Indian side as the full-time captain in the upcoming two-match Test series that starts on March 4th. The BCCI has recently allowed fifty per cent of spectators at Mohali in pursuit of Kohli’s 100th Test.