Indian cricket will reach a significant milestone when they take on Sri Lanka in the first Test in Mohali on Friday.
The opening match of the two-Test series will the first under Rohit Sharma in red-ball cricket as the all-format captain. And more significantly, it will be star India batsman Virat Kohli's 100th Test.
The last few months have been exacting for Kohli, with him losing or relinquishing captaincy in all formats and also witnessing a gradual dip in form and runs.
Kohli is India's most successful Test captain but stepped down after seven years in charge following a shock 2-1 series defeat in South Africa earlier this year.
It capped a stunning few months where he gave up IPL and T20 captaincy and was removed as India ODI captain.
Now, he is in the team purely as a batsman, looking to recapture the form that made him the best batsman in the world. However, it must be noted that despite a dip in form that has seen him not score a century since November 2019, Kohli still averages over 50 in all three formats.
Fans will be hoping they get to witness Kohli's long-awaited century in his 100th Test match for the country.
For that, the Indian cricket board has allowed fans to return to the Mohali stadium after earlier announcing that the match will be held behind closed doors.
India vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah said a win over Sri Lanka would be a perfect gift for Kohli.
"It's a testimony of his hard work, of his dedication to play 100 Test matches for your country. So it's a great occasion," Bumrah said.
"I am really looking forward to Kohli’s 100th Test and wish our champion cricketer the very best. This is an occasion for our fans to savour. May he continue to represent the country in many more matches to come,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah added.
