Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli has reached Mohali ahead of the highly anticipated 100th Test match of his career. The former India captain was given a short bio-bubble break by the Board of Control for Cricket in India and he wasn’t available for selection in the final T20I against West Indies as well as the white-ball leg of the home series against Sri Lanka. Not only has Virat reached the venue for his landmark Test match but he has also started training.

The right-handed batter is set to become the 12th player from Team India to play 100 or more Test matches. As soon as Kohli walked out for Toss in what turned out to be his final Test match as captain earlier in the tour of South Africa, he equalled the record of former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, who played 99 Test matches for India.

ALSO READ | There is nothing to be shocked about: Virat Kohli breaks silence on his sudden decision to quit RCB captaincy

Notably, the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) has already informed that Kohli’s 100th Test will be played inside closed doors. The PCA CEO Deepak Sharma has been quoted saying that they will be honouring Kohli for achieving this rare feat of becoming only the 12th Indian cricketer to 100 Tests. The list is headed by Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar who finished his marathon career with 200 Tests. In addition, Deepak Sharma also reportedly expressed gratitude for hosting the 100th Test of Kohli, India’s most successful captain in Test cricket.

Here is a video of Kohli from the training session:

In January, Kohli was supposed to play his 100th Test in Cape Town as he landed South Africa with 97 Test matches to his name. Although he played the 1st Test in Centurion (98th), the batter skipped the 2nd Test in Johannesburg due to back spasms. He was back in the 3rd Test in Cape Town, his 99th. India lost the last two Tests, and subsequently, Kohli resigned as the Test skipper. Earlier, Bengaluru was scheduled to host the first Test against Sri Lanka. But the venues were swapped earlier this month because the Lankans wanted to play the second match in a city from which they could fly straight home.

The 33-year-old is set to play his 100th Test match under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, who will be leading the side for the first time since his appointment as Test skipper. India will take on Sri Lanka in the first two-match Test series in Mohali, while the 2nd Test match will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The red-ball series begins on March 4.

ALSO READ | Virat Kohli tops the list of most popular sportspersons in India in January 2022