“That’s come because of a lot of hard work behind the scenes” - Rahul Dravid hails Virat Kohli ahead of his 500th international game 

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has hailed Virat Kohli for his hard work and dedication behind the scenes as the latter prepares to play his 500th international game. The Indian legend also termed the 34-year-old as an inspiration to many players in the current team as well as upcoming talents in the country.

Kohli will play his 500th international match when India take on West Indies in the second Test of the two-match series at Port of Spain in Trinidad, starting Thursday, July 20. The former India captain has so far featured in 110 Tests, 274 ODIs, and 115 T20Is.

At a press conference ahead of the second Test, Dravid admitted that he wasn’t aware of Kohli’s landmark. On being told of the same, he praised the Indian batter for his commitment to the game as well as his energy and fitness.

“I didn’t know that this is his 500th game. I am not a great one for numbers. It’s great to hear that. It’s fantastic; he’s a real inspiration to so many players within this team without a doubt and to so many boys and girls back home in India," Dravid said.

"His numbers and his stats speak for themselves - it’s all there in the book. For me, what’s been great to see first-hand has been the effort and the work that he puts in behind the scenes when no one is watching. That is reflected in the fact that he has been able to play 500 games," he added.

Asserting that he is still going strong, Dravid described the energy and enthusiasm that Kohli brings to the game in spite of playing 500 matches and having been around for 12-13 years, as truly fantastic.

“That’s not come easy, that’s come because of a lot of hard work behind the scenes, a lot of sacrifices that he has made throughout his career and he’s willing to continue to make. That’s something that is great for a coach because you can see a lot of young players will look to that and be inspired by that,” Dravid continued.

Kohli is India’s second-highest run-getter in international cricket, having notched up 25,461 runs at an average of 53.48, with 75 hundreds and 131 fifties.

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“Hopefully, they are inspired by Virat” - Dravid wants youngsters to follow Kohli’s example

Dravid is hopeful that a lot of youngsters will look up to Kohli as an inspiration and look to follow his path.

Lavishing more praise on the former India captain, he added:

“You don’t have to say anything. Just by the way you conduct yourself, the way you go about practices, your fitness, [that] becomes an inspiration for a lot of other young players who are coming through the system. Hopefully, they follow that and they are inspired by Virat to play so many games. Longevity comes with a lot of hard work, discipline, adaptability. He’s shown all of that, so long may it continue.”

Concluding his thoughts on Kohli’s journey, Dravid said that he has enjoyed getting to know the batter personally during his ongoing stint as coach.

“It’s nice to see his journey. When I played, he was a youngster coming through. To get to know him personally as well over the last 18 months, it’s been good fun. I’ve really enjoyed it and I hope he has as well. I’ve learnt a lot from him,” he said.

Kohli contributed 76 off 182 balls as India beat West Indies by an innings and 141 runs in the Dominica Test.