Rahul dravid virat kohli biography
Virat Kohli is real inspiration for so many players: Rahul Dravid
In the second and final Test against the West Indies, starting at Queen's Park Oval on Thursday, Kohli will become the fourth Indian to play 500 international matches, joining Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid himself, and MS Dhoni.
"His (Kohli's) numbers and his stats speak for themselves, it's all there in the books. He is a real inspiration to so many players within this team without a doubt and to so many people, boys and girls back home in India," Dravid said on the eve of the Test.
"It's nice to see Virat's journey. When I first played, he was a youngster coming through. I was not really involved in the team as such. I watched him from the outside with a lot of admiration for what he has done and what he continues to achieve."
Dravid said Kohli's longevity and achievements in all the three formats was a result of "behind the scene" sacrifices and hard work.
"I didn't know that this is his 500th game. For me, what has been great is to see the efforts and the work that he puts in behind the scenes when no one is watching. And that's great for a coach because a lot of young players will look at that and get inspired.
"That's come because of a lot of hard work behind the scenes. A lot of sacrifices that he has made through his career and is willing to continue to make. Longevity comes with a lot of hard work, discipline, and adaptability and he has shown all of that. So long it may continue."
The 34-year-old Kohli has come a long way since making his ODI debut under Dhoni in a match against Sri Lanka at Dambulla in Augu
'Never imagined you'll be head coach and I would've played 100 Tests': Virat Kohli's heart-to-heart with Rahul Dravid
On the eve of the Test, Virat Kohli opened up on his heart-to-heart chat with India coach Rahul Dravid, aptly summing up the term 'life has come full circle'.
Two days ago, Virat Kohli set the mood for the India vs West Indies with a golden Instagram post featuring him and Rahul Dravid. It wasn't just any player-coach photo. There was plenty of history involved. In 2011, when India last played at the Windsor Park in Dominica – the venue for the 1st Test – Dravid was in his last leg of his career, while Kohli was the future. Long before he earned the moniker of King, it was in that game that Kohli made his Test debut for India. He had set the ODIs on fire, but was finding his feet in Test cricket. 12 years later, Kohli is a legend, and Dravid his coach.
The only two members from that tour in 2011, Kohli's post with Dravid post was a wonderful trip down memory lane for the ever-so-nostalgic Indian cricket fans. And now, as Kohli, now a veteran of 100 Tests, enters what many feel is an interesting phase of his career, the former India caption's mind harked back to 2011. Ahead of the series opener, he revealed the emotions behind the viral Instagram post and the rush of emotions he felt upon entering the ground that holds so much significance.
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"When we went to the dressing room and then practice, I kind of remembered my first series here as a Test player and this is the country where it all started – the Caribbean. And yeah, it is just amazing to be able to come back here 12 years later having played over 100 Test matches, I would never have imagined anything like this," Kohli said in a video shared by the BCCI.
'Life has come full circle', says Kohli
In the last 12 years, Kohli has gone from a promising youngste Rahul Dravid was probably one of the last classical Test match batters, and one of the greatest. His progress into the India side may have been steady and methodical rather than meteoric, but once there, he established himself at the vanguard of a new, defiant Indian side who were no longer easybeats away from home. Armed with an orthodox technique, he became the cement that held the foundations firm while the flair players expressed themselves. Yet, for a man who came to be stereotyped as one-paced and one-dimensional, he could stroke the ball around when the mood struck him. Dravid compensated for his relative lack of athleticism with sheer hard work and powers of concentration that were almost yogic. In Adelaide in 2003, when India won a Test in Australia for the first time in a generation, he batted 835 minutes over two innings. A few months later he was at the crease more than 12 hours for the 270 that clinched India's first series win in Pakistan. That formidable concentration also came in handy when he was standing in the slips, where he took 210 catches in Tests, the record. After impressing in a Lord's debut in 1996, where he was eclipsed by Sourav Ganguly, Dravid's breakthrough innings arrived at the Wanderers a few months later, against a South Africa attack accustomed to bullying visitors. A brief slump followed, but he emerged from that in 2001 with perhaps one of the most famous supporting performances of all, in a partnership of 376 with VVS Laxman that resulted in an unlikely victory after India followed on against Steve Waugh's Australia. The half-decade that followed was a golden one with the bat: tours of England and Australia, in 2002 and 2003-04, fetched Dravid more than 600 runs apiece. A two-year stint as captain, following Ganguly's axing, was less successful, though he did lead the side to series victories in West Indies in 2006 and in England the year after, the first time in a generation India had won in those places Rahul Dravid
'He's a legend of the game': Rahul Dravid showers accolades on birthday boy Virat Kohli
In a candid conversation with the International Cricket Council (ICC), Dravid commended Kohli's remarkable ability to finish games.The former cricketing icon and the current head coach stated that Kohli had set a benchmark for his generation of cricketers.
"Virat's a legend of the game, especially in this format of the game. I think all formats of the game, but particularly this one, I think his performance and the way he finishes games. The standard of his performance over the years has probably set a benchmark for his generation of cricketers," remarked Dravid.
Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwinalso joined in the chorus of praise for Kohli, acknowledging that he has significantly transformed the mindset within Indian cricket. Ashwin underlined Kohli's influence in changing how a batsman perceives and prepares for the game.
"He has changed the DNA of thinking around Indian cricket. How one batsman needs to perceive and prepare for the game," Ashwin said.
Youngster Shubman Gillcouldn't help but marvel at Kohli's unrelenting hunger and passion for the game. He emphasised that he hadn't seen anyone with a greater thirst for success than Kohli.
"His hunger and passion for the game are unparalleled. I have not seen anyone as hungry as Virat Kohli," Gill shared.
Virat Kohli himself is in red-hot form at the ongoing ODI World Cup. With seven matches played, he has amassed 442 runs in the prestigious tournament,