'He’s a real inspiration to so many players' - Head coach Rahul Dravid lauds Virat Kohli as he nears major milestone in 2nd Test against West Indies 

Rahul Dravid & Virat Kohli (Source: Twitter)

As India and West Indies gear up for the second Test in Trinidad, a milestone awaits batting stalwart Virat Kohli. The former India captain is set to play his 500th international match - the fourth Indian cricketer to achieve this landmark. While well wishes pour in for 'King Kohli' from the cricketing world, Team India head coach Rahul Dravid also praised him for his commitment and devotion.

Kohli will represent his country for the 500th time when India will take on West Indies in Port of Spain, Trinidad, starting on Thursday, July 20. The 34-year-old has played 110 Tests, 274 ODIs and 115 T20Is so far and holds numerous records including most runs, best batting average, joint most 100s, most 50+ scores, most POTMs, most POTS, and most 100s as captain.

Addressing the media ahead of the series decider, Dravid lauded Kohli, saying that his dedication and hard work helped him accomplish this milestone and that he is a real inspiration to everyone.

"I am not a great one for numbers. It’s great to hear that. It’s fantastic; he’s a real inspiration to so many players within this team without a doubt and to so many boys and girls back home in India," Dravid said.

"His numbers and his stats speak for themselves - it’s all there in the book. For me, what’s been great to see first-hand has been the effort and the work that he puts in behind the scenes when no one is watching. That is reflected in the fact that he has been able to play 500 games," he added.

A lot of young players will look to that and be inspired: Dravid

Dravid said that Kohli has made a lot of sacrifices in his career and is still doing so. He further stated that the way Kohli practices and maintains his fitness would serve as an inspiration to youngsters.

“That’s not come easy, that’s come because of a lot of hard work behind the scenes, a lot of sacrifices that he has made throughout his career and he’s willing to continue to make. That’s something that is great for a coach because you can see a lot of young players will look to that and be inspired by that,” Dravid said.

"Just by the way you conduct yourself, the way you go about practices, your fitness, becomes an inspiration for a lot of other young players who are coming through the system. Hopefully, they follow that and they are inspired by Virat to play so many games," the 50-year-old concluded.