‘When no one is watching…’: Rahul Dravid reflects on Virat Kohli’s legacy ahead of 500th international match

Team India’s star batter, Virat Kohli, will reach a significant milestone on Thursday as he becomes only the 10th player to reach 500 international matches. Kohli will achieve this feat in the second and final Test of the series against West Indies, joining the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and current head coach Rahul Dravid as the fourth player to play 500 games for India. Kohli made his debut in 2008 and is likely to be the only player in the history of the game to maintain an average of 50+ in 500 or more games.

In the past year, the 34-year-old former Indian captain faced a challenging period in international cricket, even taking a break for a month in August last year. However, he made a resounding comeback a month later in the Asia Cup and has been unstoppable ever since. Kohli has added three more centuries to his name, with his latest one coming against Australia during a Test in March this year, after scoring his maiden century in T20Is in the continental tournament.

Fans have become accustomed to seeing Kohli score big hundreds at a consistent pace, and they will be hoping that he marks his 500th international appearance with another century. However, India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, prefers to look beyond the statistics and instead focuses on Kohli’s effort and overall impact.

“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 during his interaction wit reporters ahead of the second Test in Port of Spain.

“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.

Dravid emphasized that Kohli’s unwavering commitment to fitness and his exemplary conduct serve as a source of inspiration for his fellow teammates. As the former captain of the Indian team, Dravid spearheaded a fitness revolution that significantly impacted the team’s performance, particularly in the longest format of the game. It comes as no surprise that some of the team’s most triumphant periods coincided with Kohli’s leadership. Notably, the team achieved a historic away series victory in Australia, maintained an exceptional record on home soil, and secured a 2-1 lead against England in 2021, although the fifth match was postponed and eventually played under the captaincy of Jasprit Bumrah after Kohli stepped down from his role the following year.

“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.

“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.”

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