Virat Kohli, Batting On 97, Asked Ravi Shastri If He Should Declare

India coach Ravi Shastri on Monday said "sky is the limit" for skipper Virat Kohli after his impressive 104-run knock against Sri Lanka in the first Test at the Eden Gardens. "He is a fabulous player. The sky is the limit for him," Shastri after the visitors held on for a draw in the series opener. Kohli's ton in the 1st Test against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, which came on the back of a duck in the first innings, was his 50th in international cricket. Interestingly, Kohli, batting on 97, looked at Shastri in the dressing room as it to ask "Should I declare?" However, Shastri asked him to bat for another over and complete his ton, reports TOI. With not enough time for his bowlers to dismiss the opposition, the captain's intention was to put the team's interest before his personal milestone.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) put out a video, asking fans to decode the conversation of the duo.

How about that for sign language? Care to decode this conversation between the Captain and Coach? #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/cN54UzGJy8

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 20, 2017

After the message from the dressing room, Kohli notched up his 18th Test ton with a six and declared India's innings immediately at 352/8. The 29-year-old's 11th century as skipper helped India set Sri Lanka a 231-run target.

18th Test century for @imVkohli followed by the declaration. Sri Lanka need 231 runs to win the 1st Test #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/J0Lqp650SZ

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 20, 2017

Kohli is the fastest to get to 50 hundreds in all formats of the game.

The hosts came close to winning the match after reducing the tourists to 75/7 in the second innings on the fifth and final day.

Following up, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4/8) and Mohammed Shami (2/34) bowled superbly to drag the islanders to the cusp of defeat before bad light stopped play and honours were shared.

India take on Sri Lanka in the second Test in Nagpur from Friday.

(With inputs from IANS)