Virat Kohli's 500th int'l game: Indian star reacts ahead of landmark appearance in WI vs IND 2nd Test - Watch

Virat Kohli will become the tenth player to enter the 500-match club in international cricket when India face West Indies on Day One of the second and final Test at Port-of-Spain in Trinidad. Among Indians, he will become only the fourth player to reach the coveted 500-mark. Sachin Tendulkar is the most capped player (664) in international cricket whereas the likes of MS Dhoni (538) and current head coach Rahul Dravid (509) come second and third, respectively, in terms of most international caps. Thus, Kohli is set to add another feather to his illustrious hat on Thursday (July 20).

Ahead of his landmark international appearance, Kohli, in a video shared on BCCI's official Twitter handle,said, "I'm really grateful. I feel very blessed that I have had such a long journey playing for India and such a long Test career. Because I really had to work hard for it and it makes you feel happy about the hard work that you have put in to see the longevity in the game and the results over the years as well. So, I'm very grateful."

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India's head coach Dravid also congratulated Kohli on his historic achievement and lauded him for being 'a real inspiration to so many players in the current team and boys and girls back home'.

As per BCCI, in a recent press conference, Dravid stated, "Virat is a real inspiration to so many players, in the team as well many players look up to him. Obviously, his numbers and stats speak for themselves it's all in the books. The effort and work that he puts in behind the scene when no one is watching is incredible. I think that has carried him to play 500 games, he is very fit and still going very strong. That's not easy, he has made a lot of sacrifices and put in a lot of hard work."

He added, "It's nice to see Virat's journey. He has come a long way. Over the last 18 months, I've got to know him personally, and I have learned a lot from him."

So far, Kohli has represented India in110 Tests,274 ODIs and 115 T20Is. Debuting in 2008, he soon became someone India can rely onacross all formats and the batter has broken several records at the highest level. He has slammed 75 international tons and scored over 25,000 runs overall.

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