Batting maestro Virat Kohli is gearing up for India’s start to the next ICC World Test Championship cycle in the Caribbean where the two-time runners-up are to take on West Indies in a two-match series to kickstart their campaign.
The India squad, led by Rohit Sharma, recently left for the Windies tour during which they will also play in three ODIs and five T20Is.
A clip has emerged of Kohli meeting the legendary West Indies allrounder Sir Garfield Sobers during a training session.
Virat Kohli enquiring with Sir Garfield Sobers if he can switch allegiance from India to West Indies.Looks like he wants to win an international trophy again before he retires. pic.twitter.com/uIIyDihAPE
— Caribbean Cricket Podcast (@CaribCricket) July 4, 2023
Kohli, a modern great, shook hands and got clicked with Sobers who is widely regarded as one of the finest allrounders, arguably the greatest to have played the game.
The 86-year-old Sobers played 93 Tests for West Indies between 1954 and 1974, scoring 8032 runs at an excellent average of 57.78. He struck 26 centuries and 30 half-centuries with a best individual score of 365 not out.
He took 235 wickets at 34.03 including six five-wicket hauls.
The annual ICC Men’s Cricketer of The Year trophy has been named after Sobers.
Meanwhile, the Indian team returns to action next week after a rare one-month break. They lost to Australia in the final of WTC last month.
Kohli will be eyeing few records on the tour that includes breaking into the top-five of the most run-getters list in international cricket history.
Kohli has scored 25385 runs so far in his India career and needs 150 runs more to surpass South Africa legend Jacques Kallis who currently occupies the fifth spot with 25534 runs.
Kohli has a decent record against West Indies in Test cricket.
In 14 Tests against them, he has scored 822 runs in 19 innings at 43.26. He has scored two centuries and five half-centuries with a best of 200.
The series gets underway from July 12 at Windsor Park in Dominica followed by the second Test at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.
India have sent a 16-man squad for the Test series that includes newcomers Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mukesh Kumar.
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