Rahul Dravid reveals secret behind Virat Kohli's longevity ahead of his 500th match for India

Virat Kohli is all set to play his 500th international game on Thursday.

Virat Kohli, who also celebrated 15 years of international cricket in 2023, is all set to appear for the 500th time for India when he takes the field against West Indies in the second Test. 

Talking about Virat Kohli's journey, Rahul Dravid said that he had been an inspiration for several players in the team. "He's a real inspiration to so many players within this team without a doubt, to so many boys and girls in India," Dravid said. "His numbers and stats speak for themselves, his performances - it's all there in the book", he added.

Explaining what stands out for him, Dravid said the amount of effort and work Kohli does behind the scenes. "I think for me what's great to see first-hand is the effort and work he puts behind the scenes when no one's watching. That's reflecting in the fact that he's going to be playing 500 games", he added.

Dravid also revealed how Kohli continues to stay strong despite playing for years. "A lot of hard work behind the scenes, a lot of sacrifices that he has made through his career and he's willing to continue to make. That's something that is great for a coach, you can see a lot of young players will look to that and be inspired by that," Dravid added.

"Longevity comes with a lot of hard work, discipline, and adaptability and he's shown all of that. Long may it continue."

It's nice to see Virat's journey- Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid is one of the players who got to watch Kohli's growth from close. In 2008, Kohli and Dravid played together in Royal Challengers Bangalore. Then the cricketers shared the dressing room in the ODIs as well as the Test cricket. 

Dravid also recalled how Virat Kohli has grown over the years. "It's nice to see Virat's journey. When I was playing, he was a youngster coming through. And then I was not involved in the team as such, I watched it from the outside with a lot of admiration for what he's done and what he's continued to achieve" Dravid said. 

Since becoming the Indian coach, Dravid also had an opportunity to work together with Kohli. "To interact with him, get to know him personally as well, it's been good fun. I've really enjoyed it, I've learnt a lot from him. So in a lot of ways, I've really enjoyed it and hope he has as well", Dravid concluded.

India will take on West Indies in the second Test match on Thursday. The visiting side has already won the opening Test match by an innings and 141 runs. Virat Kohli scored a half-century at Dominica and will be keen to make an impact as he steps out for the 500th time in the Indian jersey.