Virat Kohli at 500: India coach Rahul Dravid not expecting star batter to slow down

By India Today Sports Desk: India coach Rahul Dravid doesn’t see Virat Kohli slowing down anytime soon as the star batter is set to play his 500th international game on Thursday.

Kohli, who made his international debut in 2008, has been a stalwart for the Indian team over the years. In his illustrious career spanning over 15 years, Kohli has scored more than 25,000 runs across all formats and has notched up 75 centuries and 131 half-centuries.

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The second Test against the West Indies would be his 500th game and Dravid was in awe of the achievements of the star batter. As quoted by ICC, the India coach also said he doesn’t expect Kohli to slow down anytime soon.

Dravid also called Kohli an inspiration to many of his teammates and budding cricketers in India.

“I think it is fantastic and he (Kohli) is an inspiration to so many players within this team and to so many boys and girls back home in India,” Dravid said ahead of the second Test against the West Indies.

“His numbers and his stats speak for themselves and his performances are all there in the (record) books.”

“For me what has been great to see first-hand is the effort and the willing and the work he puts in behind the scenes when no one is watching and that is reflected in the fact that he has been able to play 500 games.”

“He is still going very strong, is very fit and the energy and enthusiasm he brings to the game in spite of playing 500 games and being around here for 12 or 13 years now.”

Dravid said that the main reasons behind Kohli’s longevity in the game is due to his hard work, discipline and adaptability.

“It is truly fantastic and it has not come easy. It has come because of a lot of hard work behind the scenes and a lot of sacrifices he has made throughout his career and is willing to continue to make,” Dravid noted.

“That is something that is great for a coach as you can see a lot of the young players look at that and be inspired by that and you don’t need to say anything.

“Just by the way you conduct yourself and the way you carry yourself, the way you go about practices, the way you go about your fitness, it becomes an inspiration for a lot of young players that are coming through the system and hopefully they are inspired by Virat.”

“Longevity comes with a lot of hard work, discipline and adaptability and he has shown all of that, so long may it continue.”