'Playing his 500th Game but Played like it’s his 5th': Teammate Hails 'King Kohli' For Shattering Records

Virat Kohli on Thursday once again showcased his class when he walked out to bat in his 500^th international game. In the second Test against West Indies in Trinidad, Kohli notched up his 30^th fifty and remained unbeaten on 87 at stumps. He also stitched an unbeaten 106-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja who was batting on 36 at the end of the day’s play.

Not only the half-century highlighted his 500^th outing for India but he also became the 5^th-highest run-getter in international. As soon as he scored 74 runs in the innings, the former Indian captain surpassed South African legend Jacques Kallis to grab the fifth spot on the list of batters with the most runs in international. Kohli now has 5,548 runs to his credit, averaging 53.67.

Veteran Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik reserved massive praise for Kohli for showcasing a commendable temperament when his team needed him the most. Speaking on Cricbuzz, Karthik said Kohli fought through tough situations and played like as if he was out there in his 5^th game and not 500^th.

“Mr Virat Kohli, King Kohli as we lovingly call him. And we all can say the lovely shots that he played; the cover drive, the pull. The pull was really good for me, with what happened in previous years. Here’s the man who is playing his 500^th match but played it like probably it’s his fifth match. The hunger on a pitch that probably didn’t aid stroke-making, he fought through it,” Karthik said.

“We saw that in the first Test as well and we are seeing it again now. If you have heard Rahul Dravid speak about him, the two things that he said – the respect and the sacrifices. And you can see that shining through in this innings yet again. Not at his fluent best, for sure, but he made it count, just making sure that he stood there and played those tough balls out.

“Even he could play a million shots, just making sure that he is mentally there and making it count for Team India. He just goes out there, grinds it out, hits a 50 off 97 balls, ends up being not out at the end of the day’s play and forges a lovely partnership with Ravindra Jadeja. That’s the man for you,” he added.

Kohli stepped out after the early dismissal of Shubman Gill (10). He stood firm while the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane too departed in quick succession. Kohli then teamed up with Jadeja to anchor the innings as India posted 288/4 at stumps on the first day of the game.