'Really Had to Work Hard for It': Virat Kohli Feels 'Blessed' & 'Grateful' Ahead of 500th Game - WATCH

All eyes will be on Virat Kohli when he steps out at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad on Thursday when India take on West Indies in the second Test of the 2-match series. Rohit Sharm & Co already lead the series 1-0 and will look to have another successful outing in what will be the 100^th Test match between both teams.

In the historic game, former India captain Virat Kohli will achieve a magnificent feat, becoming the fourth player to represent India in 500 or more international games, after the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Rahul Dravid. It’s his 500^th game and ahead of getting into the action, the ace Indian batter says he’s grateful to have achieved this milestone.

In a video shared by the BCCI on Thursday, Kohli could be seen expressing his feeling about coming this far in his cricketing career. He admitted that he has worked very hard to reach this feat and it makes him happy.

“I’m really grateful. I feel blessed that I’ve had such a long journey playing for India and such a long Test career because I really had to work hard for it. It really makes you feel happy about the hard work that you have put in. You see the longevity in the game and the results over the years as well. I’m very grateful,” Virat Kohli said in the video.

Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid was all praise for Kohli. Lauding the latter’s passion for the game, the Team India head coach highlighted what needs to have longevity when an individual plays for the country.

“It’s a terrific achievement. The number of games that you have played is a reflection of a lot of things; your ability, your adaptability, your fitness, your desire, your hunger, on how passionate you are about the game. So, there are so many things when you speak about longevity. If you slip up on any of these areas, probably you won’t be able to have as long as a career Virat has achieved,” Dravid said.

“That has been really impressive and the way he has been able to play all three formats of the game and adapt to it. If you want to play as long as he has and put in those kinds of performances, you need to tick all the boxes. He not just has done that but continues to do that which is great to watch,” Dravid added.