Former cricketers bow down as Virat Kohli gears up to become 4th Indian to play 500 international matches

Virat Kohli on Thursday will become only the fourth Indian player and 10th overall, to play 500 international matches. The 24-year-old who made his India debut back in 2008, has played 110 Test matches, 274 ODI matches and 115 T20I matches.

Only Sachin Tendulkar (664), MS Dhoni (538) and Rahul Dravid (509) have played more international matches than Kohli among Indians. Tendulkar leads the overall list and is followed by Mahela Jayawardene (652), Kumar Sangakkara (594), Sanath Jayasuriya (586), Ricky Ponting (560), Dhoni, Shahid Afridi (524), Jacques Kallis (519) and Dravid. Inzamam-ul-Haq retired one shy of his 500th international match.

The glorious journey of Kohli has seen him score 25461 runs across formats at an average of 53.48. The average is the best among anyone who has played over 300 matches. His tally of 75 hundreds is only second to Sachin Tendulkar who hit hundred international hundreds.

Ahead of the second India vs West Indies Test in Port of Spain - the 500th international match of Kohli - former cricketers and experts have doffed their hat to the master batsman. They have hailed his discipline, dedication, and determination which has helped him play the game not only for a long time but also with a lot of fire in his belly.

"Virat Kohli's dedication for the game is very evident and in fact defines him. The way he has lived his life like a monk where it has only been about cricket. That is the reason he has reached where he is today and is a brand ambassador of the beautiful game. We are all thankful for what he has done for Indian cricket and for cricket in general," Chopra said as an expert on Jio Cinema.

Former left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha also praised Kohli, calling the achievement as 'one more feather in the cap' moment, "This is a very special achievement. Very few get to achieve this feat. I hope this acts as a motivation for him and he keeps playing good knocks for the country and continues with his good form."

Jaffer also joined the bandwagon and lauded Kohli's longevity as he said, "Not everybody gets to play 500 matches and his longevity is praiseworthy - the way he has kept himself fit and consistent and continued playing well and scored 75 centuries in international cricket. It signifies his discipline, dedication, and determination. He has played 500 matches and there is a lot more cricket left in him. He is a role model for all cricketers across the world."