'A guy who's been around for 500 games...': Bishop can't keep calm after Virat Kohli dives full length, calls for physio
Admiring Kohli's work ethics, Ian Bishop pointed out that he wishes to see young batters from the West Indies emulating Virat's greatness.
West Indies great Ian Bishop literally could not keep calm seeing Virat Kohli put in a dive to make his crease. In the 72nd over, Kohli and his partner Ravindra Jadeja took off for what seemed like an easy two, but as Kohli came running back for the second, he realised he was in danger. As the fielder's throw from third man came zooming in, Kohli put in a fully-stretched dive to ensure his run was completed. This crazy piece of commitment made Bishop jump out of his seat, with the former West Indies pacer hailing Kohli's 'desperation' even after having achieved almost everything that there is.
"Absolutely superb. That's the sort of desperation you love to see incorporated in your batting and batsmanship. This is a Test match. You sometimes see guys doing this in desperation in a one-day or white-ball scenario, but here is a guy who has been around for 500 international games and in a Test match, knows the value of every run. Putting his body on the line and diving to make sure he's in. That tells you how badly he wants whatever he gets out of this innings," Bishop said as play was stopped momentarily.
The brief halt in play was for Kohli, who was being treated by the physio. After putting in the dive, Kohli immediately signalled for the physio. Kohli's jersey was a mess and he seemed to have done some damage to his already-taped finger. Admiring Kohli's work ethics, Bishop pointed out that he wishes to see young batters – both male and female – from the West Indies emulating Virat’s greatness and hopes the great man's qualities rub off on them.
"I wish I could get every young batter in the Caribbean - male and female - running like that and not just sitting back waiting for boundaries. You know how much you can top up your scores but this sort of intensity... I have seen a number of batters no desperate enough to dive and commit themselves like that. This is a good example," added the former Windies quick.
More accomplishments for Virat Kohli
Kohli remained unbeaten on 87, driving India to 288/4 at stumps after West Indies picked up 4 wickets in the second session. After Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal brought up half-centuries of their own, it was Kohli's turn to peel off back-to-back fifties, and along with Jadeja (36 not out), take India to safety. During his innings, Kohli knocked off a couple of noteworthy records - surpassing Virender Sehwag to become India's fifth-highest scorer in Tests, fifth-highest run getter in international cricket and the fifth-highest run-scorer by a batter from No. 4 in Tests. Kohli is only 13 shy of a 29th Test century which promises to make his 500th India appearance even more special.
