Test cricket is the “real cricket”, Virat Kohli said Thursday ahead of his 100th game for India in the five-day format, his first since stepping down as captain in January.
“I personally never grew up thinking I have to score small runs, the idea was to score huge runs,” Kohli said ahead of the match in Mohali against Sri Lanka — also the visitors’ 300th Test. “My idea was to bat long. I used to enjoy batting for long periods of time, try to win games for my team, or try to get a first-innings lead, which is the format we used to follow,” he said.
“These are the things which reveal your true character. I just felt that Test cricket needed to stay alive, because this for me is real cricket,” Kohli said in the interview with the Indian cricket board.
Kohli, 33, threw in the towel as India’s most successful Test leader with 40 wins and 17 losses in 68 Tests as captain.
Under his leadership, India rose to top the Test rankings and stayed there for over three years, beat-ing all comers at home and away including winning a series in Australia for the first time.—APP
