On Friday, March 4, former Team India skipper Virat Kohli will be heading out for his 100th Test when the national team locks horns with Sri Lanka at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. But there won’t be any crowds welcoming the 33-year-old since the first game of the two-match series will […]
On Friday, March 4, former Team India skipper Virat Kohli will be heading out for his 100th Test when the national team locks horns with Sri Lanka at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. But there won’t be any crowds welcoming the 33-year-old since the first game of the two-match series will be played behind closed doors.
Jasprit Bumrah, India’s vice-captain for the game, in the meantime, is focused to make the game a memorable outing for Kohli. Bumrah lauded the Delhi-born Kohli on the eve of the milestone game and thanked the veteran for his tireless efforts towards Indian cricket.
“We can only focus on what we can control. The crowds are surely good for the energy, but that is something we can’t control. We don’t have any power regarding that and we don’t decide the rules. We are only focusing on what we can control. Even if the crowds are not there, how can we keep that energy up,” Bumrah was quoted as saying in the pre-match press conference.
“It’s a big day, big match for Virat Kohli. He has obviously contributed towards our team a lot. Right now, our focus is to win that match,” Bumrah added.
Kohli has had a tough time of late. Back in January, he stepped down as Team India’s Test captain after the team lost the Test series in South Africa 1-2. The visitors started the series with a comprehensive win at the SuperSport Park in Centurion to take a 1-0 lead.
But losses in Johannesburg and Cape Town pushed them back. Kohli stepped down as India’s most successful skipper in Test cricket. Back in 2019, during India’s tour of the West Indies, Kohli surpassed MS Dhoni’s tally. Kohli led India in Test cricket for more than seven years.
He is now set to ply his trade under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, who has taken over as India’s skipper in all three formats. Kohli is also 38 runs short of becoming the sixth Indian batter with over 8000 runs in Test cricket. After the Mohali Test, India will lock horns with Lanka in the Day-Night Test in Bangalore.
