Kolkata: India coach Ravi Shastri on Monday said “sky is the limit” for skipper Virat Kohli after his match-winning 104 against Sri Lanka in the first Test here.
“He is a fabulous player. The sky is the limit for him,” Shastri told reporters on the sidelines of a programme in the city after India played out a draw against the Lankans.
The hosts came close to winning the match after reducing the tourists to 75/7 in the second innings on the fifth and final day at the Eden Gardens. India set them a target of 231 after Kohli led from the front with an unbeaten 104 off 119 balls that included 12 fours and two sixes after initial jitters.
It was Kohli’s 50th international hundred — 18th in Tests, 11th as skipper, and the first at the hallowed ground.
He was also the fastest to get to 50 hundreds in all formats of the game. In the second innings, India declared for 352/8. In the first innings, Sri Lanka posted 294 in reply’s to India’s 172.
Following up, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4/8) and Mohammed Shami (2/34) bowled superbly to drag the islanders to the cusp of defeat before bad light stopped play and honours were shared.
Asked about the display of his bowlers, Shastri said: “The coach is very happy.”
India take on Sri Lanka in the second Test in Nagpur from Friday.(IANS)