“Incredible innings”: Novak Djokovic awakened Virat Kohli for a successful Test career

Serbian tennis icon Novak Djokovic on Monday congratulated star Indian batsman Virat Kohli for a remarkable test career. Virat sent shockwaves to the cricketing fraternity and the Indian team for a sudden and challenging infection, a few days later Rohit Sharma announced his retirement for five trials from the format ahead of the tour of India, which will launch the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign.

24 -time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said on Instagram to congratulate Virat for a successful Test career, “incredible innings!”. In particular, Virat shared a great bond with Djokovic and even accepted to exchange texts with him.

In an interview with the Control Board for Cricket in Cricket in Cricket in January last year, Virat said, “I came in very systematically contact with Novak. I was just looking at his Instagram profile once and to suppress his” message “button. I felt that I was’ hello, maybe.” Then I already saw a message on my DM.

Virat said that when he got his 50th ODI century during the ICC Cricket World Cup semi -final against New Zealand last year, Djokovic sent him a good message and put a story for him, congratulated him.

Virat said, “Mutual praise and respect has been done. It is good to associate with global athletes that are excellent at high levels. Collectively, it is sending a message of inspiration to the next generation in a way,” Virat said.

Virat also said that he has great respect for Djokovic, his journey as a player, and his passion for fitness. He hoped to meet the Serbian icon soon. “I have great respect for him and his journey; his passion for fitness is something I follow and believe in myself. So there is a lot on it. Hopefully, hopefully, when he comes to India or if I am in the country where he is playing.”

Various other sports personalities like India’s world champion Jewelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, England and Bayern Munich footballer Harry Kane, Indian table tennis star Manika Batra also congratulated Virat for a successful test career in Virat’s official retirement comment section.

He made his Test debut against the West Indies in June 2011. While his first Test tour was a great disappointment with just 76 runs in five innings, a young Virat made a name for himself with some serious, counter -attack in the coming days.

His rise as a test player began in 2012 with his young woman tonne against Australia in Adelaide, when he scored 116 runs in 213 balls. In a tour where no other can touch 300 runs for India and veterans like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and Virender Sehwag saw the shadow of their prominent people, Virat scored the top for India with 300 runs in four tests including a century and fifty.

Between 2011 and 2015, he scored 2,994 runs in 41 tests at an average of 44.03, with 12 centuries and 12 half -centuries in 72 innings.

Between 2016 and 2019, Virat had one of the strongest batting prime for a Test cricketer, scoring 4,208 runs in 43 tests at 66.79, with 10 fifty and 254*in 16 centuries and 69 innings. It also included seven double centuries, which was the highest by a captain in Test cricket history.

However, it has not been very good for superstar batsman in the 2020s, which has scored just 2,028 runs in average 39 tests of 30.72, with just three centuries and nine fifty in 69 innings with a fifty. His number received a great boost in 2023, where he scored 671 runs in eight tests on an average of 55.91, with two centuries and two fifties in 12 innings.

During this entire time limit, Virat fought with some notable weaknesses in the format, especially against the off-stump line and against delivery against spinners.

He finished on a shocking average of 22.47 with just 382 runs in 10 tests last year, with just one century and fifty in 19 innings. His last Test outing was the Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour in Australia since November-January, where he scored just 190 runs in nine innings of 23.75, with a highlight in his century in Perth.

This was his first since July 2023, when he hit a tonne against the West Indies in Port of Spain in 2023. In addition, his last century at home came against Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ahmedabad in early 2023.