'He came, he conquered' - Irfan Pathan salutes Virat Kohli for reviving Test cricket ahead of milestone 100th appearance

Virat Kohli is all set to feature in his 100th Test match when India locks horns with Sri Lanka in the first Test at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on March 4. This would make him the 12th Indian player to join the elite three-figure club in red-ball cricket. It is to be noted that Kohli would have already made his 100th appearance in the longest format during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in January had he not missed the second game at the Wanderers due to upper back spasms.

As Kohli looks forward to adding yet another feather to his cap, his former India teammate and all-rounder Irfan Pathan has come forward and said that Test cricket seemed to be in a spot of bother and terming the batting megastar as a ‘magical physio’ added that it was the former skipper who made one and all fall in love with the traditional format once again.

Virat Kohli made everyone love Test cricket all over again: Irfan Pathan

Taking to the micro-blogging site, the cricketer-turned cricket pundit lauded Virat Kohli for resurrecting red-ball cricket by saying “Test cricket was limping & that’s when it found a magical physio in Virat Kohli. He came, He conquered & He made everyone love test cricket all over again! Congratulations @imVkohli on your remarkable achievement”.

Test cricket was limping & that’s when it found a magical physio in Virat Kohli. He came, He conquered & He made everyone love test cricket all over again! Congratulations @imVkohli on your remarkable achievement.

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) March 3, 2022

Earlier it was said that the ex-captain’s 100 Test match would be held behind closed doors due to COVID-19 but now, it has been officially confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that 50 percent of spectators inside the Mohali stadium for this special occasion. The batting icon would now be hoping to make his bat do the talking on the big day as a wait for the 71st international century continues. He had last breached the three-figure mark in November 2019 during India’s first-ever pink-ball Test match when they had hosted Bangladesh at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.