Virat Kohli made his Test debut in June 2011 and went to bat with Rahul Dravid, who was waiting in the middle, during the first Test of the tour of West Indies at Kingston. Kohli would score 4 and 15 during the Test, while a seasoned Dravid scored 40 and 112 as India registered a 63-run victory to take the player of the match award.
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Fast forward to December 2021 and this time it is Dravid who has come as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team along with the 97 Test veteran Kohli who has created a legacy of his own. Dravid has seen his progress as a teammate and then a neutral observer and knows his impact as both a batsman and a leader.
In a video shared by the BCCI on the eve of the first Test against South Africa, Dravid said, “He (Kohli) has always gotten better, has gotten better. He is one of those players who keeps on evolving and getting better.” Keeps pushing himself. He has done very well.” He has achieved success wherever he has played.”
The 33-year-old Kohli has 7,801 runs at 50.65, including 27 centuries and 27 fifties and is widely regarded as one of the finest batsmen to have played the game. Dravid, himself an all-time great, describes Kohli’s influence as “unprecedented” and credits him with driving a culture of fitness and ambition.
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“I was there when Virat Kohli made his debut. I was there when he played his first Test match and I batted with him in that particular game. It is amazing to see how he has evolved as a cricketer and a person after 10 years. Dravid said, “The way he has performed for India in the last 10 years, the match winning performance with the bat, the way he has led the team, the success he has got on the field, it is fantastic.”
“In many ways, they’ve driven a culture in this team of fitness, energy, and ambition that’s pretty appealing to look at from the outside. Now just getting into the atmosphere, and being a part of it and supporting her along the way, What I’m really looking forward to.”
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Dravid took over as full-time India coach with New Zealand’s home series last month and says he has enjoyed his time with the team so far. “Really felt welcome and have enjoyed my time so far. It has been good but it has been busy. I have played a lot of matches here in two months and we have traveled a bit,” Dravid said.
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