Former India captain and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar shared a message for Virat Kohli ahead of his 100th Test match. Tendulkar's message was part of a tribute video posted by BCCI on social media. The video also had messages from other members of the 100-Test club, including Team India head coach Rahul Dravid, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and former India opener Virender Sehwag. In his message for Kohli, Sachin spoke about the time when he had first heard Virat Kohli's name.
"The first time I heard about you is when we were in Australia in 2007. You guys were playing the U-19 World Cup in Malaysia. That's when there were certain players in the team who were discussing about you, that this is one player to watch out for, 'achhi batting karta hai," Sachin said in his message for Virat Kohli in the video.
Kohli has so far played 99 Test matches and is expected to join the 100-Test club during India's first Test match against Sri Lanka, which starts in Mohali from Friday.
Dravid spoke highly of Kohli's talent and asked India's most successful Test captain to enjoy the day.
"To be able to play 1 is great. To play 100 is a fantastic achievement. It's an achievement Virat Kohli can be very proud of. All the best, enjoy the day, enjoy the occasion, it's something to feel very proud about," the Indian head coach said.
Kohli will be the 71st cricketer to play 100 Test matches. Kohli will also be the 12th Indian cricketer to reach the landmark.