IND vs SL 2022 | Virat Kohli was impressive in the Under-16 tournament, Dilip Vengsarkar recalls first time he watched the cricketer
Former chairman of selectors, Dilip Vengsarkar has recalled the series of events which led to Virat Kohli’s selection in Indian team. Vengsarkar revealed that an Under-16 tournament was the first time he saw the cricketer where Kohli didn’t score many runs but was impressive enough to get attention.
India will play the opening game of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka in Mohali. The Test will be his 100th red-ball game for Virat Kohli and he would like to enjoy the special occasion with a hundred-breaking hsi century drought. Several former cricketers have congratulated Kohli for achieving the milestone.
Former Chairman of selectors recalled the sequence of series which led to Virat Kohli’s selection in the national team. Gavaskar revealed that he saw Kohli for the first time in an Under-16 tournament where the former India captain didn’t score many runs but was impressive. Eventually, his impressive performances at the junior level earned him a place in the senior national team.
"I had watched Virat for the first time at the Under-16 tournament when he played for Delhi schools and it was in Kolkata. He didn't score many runs but he was very impressive. And later on, of course, he played Under-19 for India and did extremely well. They won the World Cup. And then the emerging player's tournament was happening in Australia," Vengsarkar said in a video uploaded by BCCI.
"I was the chairman of the selection committee. And we had picked Under-23 boys in the tournament because what we felt was that emerging players should be under 23 because they are the future of Indian cricket. That's how we picked Virat Kohli."
Kohli will become the 12th Indian to play 100 Tests. He has scored 7962 runs so far with an average of 50.39. The former captain will have an opportunity to become the first Indian to score a century in his 100th Test. Vengsarkar congratulated Kohli for his achievement saying it shows his class as an international player.
"To play 100 Test matches for India is a fantastic achievement. It shows Virat’s class as an international player. His focus, passion and discipline, these are the virtues that have enabled him to play for so long for India. He is still very young, extremely fit and I’m sure he will play for maybe another 5-6 years easily. He is one of the best in the world," he stated.