Rahul Dravid, the head coach of the Indian team, pays tribute to Virat Kohli before his 500th international game

Beginning on July 20 at Port Of Spain, Trinidad, will be the second Test match between West Indies and India. The two storied clubs will play in their 100th game together. But on the day of the Test match, other accomplishments will also be made. When India plays West Indies, star batsman Virat Kohli will compete in his 500th international game. As of right moment, Kohli has represented India in 115 T20Is, 274 ODIs, and 110 Test matches, amassing more than 20,000 runs in all. Team India’s coach Rahul Dravid hailed the top batter before to the important game.

“His (Kohli’s) statistics and figures speak for themselves; everything is documented in the books. On the eve of the Test, Dravid remarked, “He is without a doubt a genuine inspiration to so many players in our squad and to so many boys and girls back home in India.

“It’s interesting to follow Virat’s progress. He was a young player when I initially started playing. I didn’t participate as much as I might have in the team. I admired him much from a distance as I saw what he had accomplished and was doing.

Dravid said that Kohli’s perseverance and success in all three forms were the consequence of “behind the scenes” sacrifices and toil.

“This is his 500th game, something I was unaware of. For me, the best part has been seeing the efforts and energy he puts in when no one is looking. And that’s fantastic for a coach because it will serve as an inspiration to many young players.

“A lot of arduous effort was done behind the scenes to make Kohli successful. He has made a lot of sacrifices during his career and is eager to do so going forward. He has shown the hard effort, dedication, and flexibility that are necessary for longevity. So, it may go on forever.

In terms of statistics, Kohli is the only player to have 4000-plus runs in T20Is and the fifth-most productive hitter in ODI history (12898 from 274 matches with 46 hundreds). He has 110 matches and 8555 runs in the Test format.

Former captain and hall of famer Dravid said Kohli is not showing any symptoms of slowing down any time soon.

“That has been shown in his ability to play 500 games, is still going strong, is in excellent physical condition, and the enthusiasm he provides to the game and being around for 12–13 years now, that’s just amazing. And it is not simple.

“You don’t have to say anything, but just the way you conduct yourself, the way you carry yourself, the way you go about practices, the way you go about your fitness becomes an inspiration for a lot of other young players who are coming to the system.”

India leads the two-game Test series 1-0.