NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricket team captain Kapil Dev has said that Virat Kohli will soon break Brian Lara’s Test record of 400-run.
Kapil Dev’s remarks came after the 27-year-old Indian Test captain smashed his maiden first-class double hundred and 95-run victory over the West Indies in Antigua last week.
“Mark my words. Virat Kohli will make 400 plus in a Test match. Remember I said this first,” Kapil said.
“With so many Test matches coming up this season I am sure Kohli will find the perfect pitch to his liking on which he could threaten the world record 401. I know many pitches will be turners in the home season, but I am sure Kohli will get one or two perfect pitches. I am sure one day soon the record will be in danger.”
He said Kohli was not as talented as Tendulkar but added that the former did not have the mental block that bugged the Master Blaster for the better part of his career.
“There has been a tremendous improvement in Kohli. Still, I would say Sachin was more talented. But Kohli is the type who will tear an attack apart,” said the former Indian captain.
“At his [Kohli’s] age, Tendulkar was more strong. But then he had that mental block. He would get to a hundred and then get into a rut,” Kapil added.
Virat Kohli, who had taken over as India’s Test captain after Mahendra Singh Dhoni suddenly called time on the longest format Down Under, had been in sensational form across formats this year.
The ‘run machine’ was on a rampage during the Indian Premier League, where he amassed 973 runs including four hundreds.
