The legendary Sachin Tendulkar was brutally trolled on social media after he posted a message on Instagram for India talisman Virat Kohli following his historic hundred against West Indies this weekend.

It is a well-known fact that India talisman Virat Kohli admired Sachin Tendulkar while he was taking baby steps toward becoming an international cricketer.

On the flip side, since Virat Kohli cemented his place among the modern-day greats of the sport, Sachin Tendulkar has become one of his all-time supporters, sending his good wishes to the Delhi-born batter whenever he lit up the field with his batting.

Once again, Sachin Tendulkar's love for Virat Kohli came to the fore as he congratulated the latter for his historic hundred against the West Indies in Port of Spain.

Sachin Tendulkar wrote on Instagram, “Another day, another century by Virat Kohli. Well played!”

A section of fans liked the Mumbai-based ex-cricket star's post, but a few shared hilarious memes, making fun of his inner state of mind because Virat Kohli was closing the gap on his record of 100 centuries.

 

Sachin Tendulkar's kind words for Virat Kohli came after the premier India batter scripted a unique world record as he became the first cricketer to smash a hundred in his 500th international match on Friday.

The Delhi-born superstar's feat came on Day 2 of the second Test against West Indies played at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain in Trinidad.

For the unversed, the second Test against the West Indies is Virat Kohli's 500th match. If we further break down the stats, he has represented India in 110 Tests, 274 ODIs, and 115 T20Is.

Incidentally, Virat Kohli's 76th hundred in international cricket during the weekend made him the fastest to the milestone as he toppled his idol Sachin Tendulkar from the top spot. While Sachin Tendulkar needed 587 essays to touch the landmark, Virat Kohli required only 559 knocks.

Virat Kohli, who was unbeaten on 87 on Day 1 of the second Test, looked in imperious touch against the Caribbean bowlers. In addition to milking them for ones and twos with relative comfort, the Delhi-born cricketer never appeared to be getting out. But an unfortunate misunderstanding between him and Ravindra Jadeja led to his dismissal as Virat Kohli had to leave the ground after making a well-compiled ton. A direct throw ran him out for 121.

Though he was utterly disappointed with his departure from the crease as he looked set for a double century, the 34-year-old still made history at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad.

Before Virat Kohli, only three Indians participated in 500 international matches – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Also, Virat Kohli surpassed Virender Sehwag to become the fifth-highest run-scorer for India in Test cricket.

While Sehwag's run tally in the five-day version of the sport stood at 8586, Kohli now has 8676 runs in red ball cricket.

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With his ton in Trinidad, Virat Kohli matched Sir Donald Bradman's record of 29 centuries in Tests. Bradman is considered the greatest batter in cricket history, and equaling his feat would have given Kohli a lot of satisfaction.

The hundred against Kraigg Brathwaite and his boys helped Virat Kohli close the gap on the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, who has five centuries more than the former in the Whites. India's top hundred makers in Tests are Sachin Tendulkar (51), Rahul Dravid (36), and Sunil Gavaskar (34).

Talking specifically about making three-figure scores at No.4, Virat Kohli went past former West Indies great Brian Lara, who scored 24 tons in that position. Though Kohli has 25 at that spot, three men are ahead of him, and they are Sachin Tendulkar (44), Jacques Kallis (35), and Mahela Jayawardene (30).

Among active cricketers, Joe Root of England and Steve Smith of Australia have 19 centuries at No.4.

Moreover, unlike Sachin Tendulkar, who could only complete one hundred in the Caribbean during his illustrious career that lasted 24 years, it was Virat Kohli's second ton in the West Indies following his maiden double ton in 2016.

However, he's still way behind Sunil Gavaskar, who retired with seven centuries in the West Indies. On the other hand, Rahul Dravid, Dilip Sardesai, and Polly Umrigar – finished their careers with three tons a piece in the Caribbean.

India's current head coach Rahul Dravid was effusive in his praise of Virat Kohli, saying that the star cricketer's work ethic, dedication, and hard work were behind his success on the pitch.

“He's a real inspiration to so many players within this team without a doubt, to so many boys and girls in India,” Dravid said. “His numbers and stats speak for itself, his performances – it's all there in the book. But I think for me what's great to see first hand is the effort and work he puts behind the scenes when no one's watching,” Rahul Dravid stated.

“He's still very strong, very fit, the energy and enthusiasm despite playing 500 games and being around here for 12-13 years now, it's truly fantastic. That's not come easy, that's come because of a lot of hard work behind the scenes, lot of sacrifices that he has made through his career and he's willing to continue to make. That's something that is great for a coach, you can see a lot of young players will look to that and be inspired by that,” Rahul Dravid continued.

“It's nice to see Virat's journey,” Dravid said. “When I was playing, he was a youngster coming through. And then I was not involved in the team as such, I watched it from the outside with a lot of admiration for what he's done and what he's continued to achieve.”

“And now to get to know him a bit over the last 18 months [since taking over as coach], interact with him, get to know him personally as well, it's been good fun. I've really enjoyed it, I've learnt a lot from him. So in a lot of ways, I've really enjoyed it and hope he has as well,” the former batting stalwart pointed out.

“You don't have to say anything, just by the way you conduct yourself, the way you carry yourself, the way you go about practice and about your fitness, it's an inspiration to a lot of players coming through the system. Hopefully they follow that and they are inspired like Virat to play so many games. Longevity comes with a lot of hard work, discipline, adaptability and he's shown all of that. Long may it continue,” Rahul Dravid remarked.

Noticeably, it was Virat Kohli's first overseas hundred since 2018, when he reached three figures against Australia in Perth.

The ex-India captain, however, did not give much importance to these stats in his interaction with the media at the close of play on Day 2.

“Honestly, these things are for others to talk on the outside. I have got 15 centuries away from home, not quite a bad record. I have got more centuries away from home than I have got at home. We haven't played 30 Test matches away from home. I don't know how many we have played but it is not a big number. I have got a few 50-plus scores but, with me if I get a fifty it is like I missed out on a hundred and if I get 120 it is like I missed out on a double hundred. I just have to focus on what I can do for the team and try to bat to the best of my abilities and help the team as much as possible,” Virat Kohli said.

“These stats and milestones, if I do them in a situation where the team needs me, for me that's more special than just ticking the numbers. Honestly, it is going to mean nothing in 15-20 years. It is what impact you left on the field which is more special for me and for the team,” he added.

“I was pretty happy with the way I went about things, took my time. They were bowling pretty decent areas when I walked. I had to be patient as the ball was getting soft, the surface was slow and the outfield was slow as well. Run scoring wasn't as fluent as one would like it to be. I had to do the hard yards and because of all these factors it was very satisfying,” Virat Kohli explained.

“I live every day of my life like I'm an individual athlete. I look after myself in terms of training, recovery, sleep, physio sessions, and most importantly, my diet. It's the commitment that you give towards the sport. When you're not going through a purple patch, all these factors really help you to grind it out in the middle.”

“For me, my fitness is the most important thing. It helps me switch between formats pretty easily because I feel I can bat for 300 balls, strike at 170, play long innings in ODIs as well, and field with intensity all day long. Whether it's a Test match, T20 or ODI, I'm just committed to playing the game at the top of my fitness abilities, and that I take a lot of pride in,” Virat Kohli expressed.