Virat
Kohli will join an elite list of cricketers when he takes the field in the
first Test against Sri Lanka at Mohali on Friday. Kohli will play his 100th
Test match and will become only the 12th Indian cricketer to play 100 or more
matches in the longest format of the game. As Kohli waits to enter a new phase
of his career, wicketkeeper-batter turned commentator Dinesh Karthik, who
played alongside Kohli, said that the 33-year-old left a lasting legacy as Test
skipper for world cricket.

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 “I do not think Virat Kohli has just left a
legacy for Indian cricket, he has left a legacy for world cricket. The intensity
with which India has played Test cricket for the last few years has been
phenomenal. The world has been amazed by how much energy Virat can bring.
People all around the globe enjoyed that. I think Kohli brought fitness to the
table and he has made that a mandate, people have followed that and you can see
the standard of fielding has gone up two notches,” Karthik said on the ICC
review.

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Virat
Kohli, who came into the scene of Indian cricket at a time when legendary
Sachin Tendulkar was at the twilight of his career, has lived up to the
expectations and superseded his predecessor in many aspects.

In
his 14-years-old career, Kohli has achieved many records – both as batter and
captain. However, when asked about the major highlight of Kohli’s captaincy tenure,
Karthik recalled India’s famous 2018 Australia tour.

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“I
think for me, it would be the Australia tour of India when India lost the first
Test in Pune on a rank turner. A lot of eyeballs were raised on how can India
lose on a turning pitch but after that, they played in Bengaluru, things just
went on an upward curve after that. Backs were against the wall after the first
Test,” Karthik said.

Kohli
holds the record for most Test appearances as India captain (68) and he also
holds the record for most Test wins by an Indian skipper (40). Only Graeme
Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh have won more matches than Kohli as
captain in Test cricket.