Watch: Rahul Dravid Delivers Golden Speech Before Presenting 100th Test Cap To Virat Kohli In India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test
India vs Sri Lanka: Rahul Dravid said Virat Kohli has been a "testament to everything that is great" in the game of cricket.
Former India captain and current head coach Rahul Dravid delivered a fantastic speech before presenting a special cap to Virat Kohli on his 100th Test match on Friday. Kohli became only the 12th Indian player to reach the milestone. He reached the landmark in the first Test against Sri Lanka. Kohli was felicitated by Dravid in the presence of the entire Indian side ahead of the start of the Test match. Kohli's wife Anushka Sharma was also present in the ceremony. Dravid said Kohli has been a "testament to everything that is great" in the game of cricket.
"It's a testament to everything that is great in our sport... sweat, discipline, courage, skill, determination, desire, focus, you had it all. You had a great journey. You can be very proud of not only playing the 100th Test match but also for the great journey that you have navigated through. Congratulations to you and your family on this fantastic 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," Dravid said before presenting the cap to Kohli.
Watch: Rahul Dravid's speech before delivering special cap to Virat Kohli on his 100th Test
What a moment to commemorate his 100th Test appearance in whites 🙌🏻
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 4, 2022
Words of appreciation from the Head Coach Rahul Dravid and words of gratitude from @imVkohli👏🏻#VK100 | #INDvSL | @Paytm pic.twitter.com/zfX0ZIirdz
Kohli thanked his family and the BCCI on the special occasion.
#TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid presents @imVkohli with his 100th baggy blue to commemorate his 100th appearance in whites.#VK100 | #INDvSL | @Paytm pic.twitter.com/PVFhsbe4Rj
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 4, 2022
"It is a special moment for me. My wife is here and so is my brother. Everyone is very proud. It is indeed a team game and it couldn't have been possible without you. Thanks to the BCCI as well. In present day cricket, with the amount we play with three formats and an IPL, the one takeaway the next generation can take from me is that I played 100 games in the purest format," Kohli said.
The 33-year-old Kohli became the 12th Indian cricketer after Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma to play 100 Tests. Kohli has so far amassed 7,962 runs in 99 Tests at an average of 50.39 with 27 tons to his name.
Meanwhile Rohit Sharma, who also started his journey as India's red-ball skipper won the toss and opted to bat first.
India decided to field three spinners in Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Jayant Yadav. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are the two seam-bowling options.
In the batting department, Shreyas Iyer got the nod ahead of Shubman Gill. He will bat at No.5 while Hanuma Vihari will slot in at No.3.
Rahul Dravid
Virat Kohli
Rohit Sharma
India Cricket Team
Sri Lanka Cricket Team