Coach Rahul Dravid said- Kohli is a real inspiration for many players

port of Spain. India head coach Rahul Dravid, who is all set to play his 500th international match, has termed Virat Kohli as an inspiration to many cricketers because of his immense achievements and work ethic. Kohli will go into the second and final Test match against the West Indies to become the fourth player to play 500 international matches for India. Before him Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni have achieved this feat. Dravid said, “His (Kohli) figures tell the whole story by themselves. They are all recorded in the record book. There is no doubt that he is a real inspiration to many players in his team and to many people, boys and girls in India.

He said, “It is good to see this journey of Virat. He was very young when I played with him for the first time. I have watched with great inspiration what he has achieved and is achieving. Dravid said Kohli’s long career and achievements in all three formats are the result of behind-the-scenes sacrifices and hard work. He said, “I did not know that this is his 500th international match. The best part for me is that I get to see their behind the scenes efforts and hard work that no one is seeing. It is a good thing for a coach as many young players look up to him and take inspiration from him.

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Dravid said, “Here is the result of all the hard work behind the scenes. He made many sacrifices in his career and he wants to continue doing so. Sustaining a career requires hard work, discipline and the ability to adjust and he has shown that. The 34-year-old Kohli has come a long way since making his ODI debut under Dhoni at Dambulla in August 2008 against Sri Lanka. He has so far played 110 Tests, 274 ODIs and 115 T20 international cricket matches.