IND vs SL: "Told Rahul Bhai I Feel Like I'm Making My Debut Again": Virat Kohli Opens Up On His 100th Test After Day 1

Former captain Virat Kohli became the 12^th Indian and 71^st player overall to reach the 100-Test milestone as India took on Sri Lanka in the first match of the two-Test series being played at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali, on March 4, 2022.

Kohli had made his India Test debut in 2011, three years after making his ODI and T20I debut in 2008. Before his 100^th Test match, the Delhi-born batter had almost 8,000 runs in 99 matches at an average of above 50 with 27 centuries and 28 half-centuries to his name.

Before the start of the day’s play, India head coach Rahul Dravid felicitated Virat Kohli with the 100th Test cap and congratulated him on reaching this milestone which has been achieved by only 11 Indian players before him.

“Congratulations to you and your family on this wonderful achievement. It’s well deserved, well earned, and hopefully, it is just the start of many things to come. As we say in the dressing room, double it up,” said Rahul Dravid.

Though many expected a century from Virat Kohli in his 100^th Test, he was bamboozled by Lasith Embuldeniya and clean bowled for 45 runs which included 6 fours.

I Had Butterflies In My Stomach: Virat Kohli Playing His 100^th Test

Virat Kohli in a virtual press conference after day one ended revealed his conversation with head coach Rahul Dravid and shared how he was feeling playing his 100^th Test. He mentioned that it was like he was making his debut once more and even had butterflies in his stomach.

“I told Rahul bhai that I feel like I am making my debut all over again. I had butterflies in my stomach. I didn’t realise the magnitude of the occasion till the time things got closer to today and how the presentation happened … so it was a moment which was very special,” Kohli said.

This was the first Test in seven years that Virat Kohli played as a member of the Indian team and not as the captain. Kohli had quit Test captaincy earlier this year, after leading the team since 2015 in the format.

“Walking out as a specialist batter, before I became the captain, my mindset was the same. It never changed and never waivered. I always wanted to be a responsible player for the team and I always took responsibility in different things even when I wasn’t the captain. For me, nothing changed. Captaincy brings in a lot of responsibility but the mindset was exactly the same as it was before. Nothing has changed for me after captaincy,” he added.

India ended day one on 356/7 with Rishabh Pant making 96, Hanuma Vihari making 58 and Ravindra Jadeja being unbeaten on 45.

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