SOUTHAMPTON (UK): As New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling stepped out to the field in international cricket for the final time on Wednesday, India skipper Virat Kohli was quick to congratulate him on a phenomenal career.
Kohli congratulated Watling as both India and New Zealand stepped out to the field on the Reserve Day of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The official handle of the International Cricket Council (ICC) tweeted the moment of Kohli congratulating Watling and captioned the post as: “A nice gesture from the Indian skipper congratulating the @BLACKCAPS wicket-keeper on the final day of his international career.” Watling holds the New Zealand Test dismissals record with 249 catches (excluding 10 as a fielder) and eight stumpings — the best numbers of any current Test keepers.
Watling’s batting statistics are equally eye-catching: with eight Test centuries to his name and New Zealand records for the fourth and fifth-highest partnerships: 362 with Brendon McCullum against India at the Basin Reserve in 2014, and 365* with current captain Kane Williamson against Sri Lanka at the same ground a year later.
He is just the ninth Test keeper to score a double hundred and was the first to do so against England, when his Player of the Match performance helped win a dramatic Test against England at Bay Oval in November 2019.
He also featured in another New Zealand record-partnership in that match as he and Mitchell Santner put on 261 for the seventh wicket.