Team India returned to action in Tests on Friday when the side took on Sri Lanka in the first match of the series in Mohali. The game saw Virat Kohli reaching the 100th Test landmark and also remains special for Indian cricket, as Rohit Sharma started his tenure as the country’s 35th captain in the longest format of the game. Rohit succeeded Kohli, who is largely credited with India’s enormous rise in Tests over the past few years.
When Kohli was felicitated on reaching the 100 Test landmark ahead of the Mohali Test, he pointed out that one of the “takeaways” for the younger generation from his career could be his dedication towards the longest format. During the lunch break in the Mohali Test, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar – who was the first Indian to reach 100 Tests – lauded Kohli and insisted that the country is “very much invested” in Test cricket.
“The thing that you need to consider is that Test cricket was played considerably more during the time when the first 10-11 Indian players reached 100 Tests. White-ball cricket wasn’t played that much. But since 2008-2009, it went the opposite way. White-ball cricket was played more and Tests were left behind. So, if someone needed to give importance to the game, he had to play Test cricket,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
“The way Kohli played Test cricket, the way he has captained, he showed the importance of Test cricket to the world. The people on the outside say that India aren’t focused on Test cricket. They’re wrong. India are very much invested in Tests. But the way India have created a balance between white-ball cricket and Test cricket is worthy of praise.”
The legendary former India batter further added that former captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli’s respective Test sides played a major role in the improved stature of the game.
“We have Test matches in every season and the way Dhoni and Kohli’s teams have played in those games is the reason for the format’s improved stature in the world at the moment. Everyone knows that a cricketer is rated on the basis of his performance in Test cricket. If you don’t make runs or don’t take regular wickets in Tests, you won’t be counted as one of the greats of the game,” said Gavaskar.