Mohali, March 3 (Agency) Indian batter Virat Kohli on Thursday said he never thought he will play 100 Tests. Kohli will play his 100th Test match at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium here on Friday. In a video posted on BCCI Twitter, Kohli said: “It has been a long journey. Grateful that I have been able to make it to 100. God has been kind. I have worked really hard on my fitness. It’s a big moment for me and my family and my coach. “I never grew up thinking that I have to score small runs.
The idea was to score big. I have scored 7-8 double hundreds in junior cricket before making it to first class level. “My idea was to bat long, as long as I could. I enjoy batting for a long period of time. These things took a lot out of you and it revealed your true character, tested your true character. Test cricket needed to stay alive because people needed to experience this. This is for me is real cricket.” Kohli has scored 7,962 runs, including 27 centuries and 28 half-centuries, in 99 Tests at an average of 50.39. He needs 38 more runs to complete 8,000 runs in Test cricket.