Ross Taylor thrilled to close in on a unique 100-game feat

Ross Taylor

Hamilton: Sixty-five players in Test cricket are part of the 100-Test club and only three New Zealanders are in this elite list. Hence, it is a significant landmark for veteran Kiwi batsman Ross Taylor, who is all set to join this club next week in Wellington."

In fact, Taylor would become the first player in international cricket to play 100 matches in all formats (Tests, ODIs and T20Is). "Twenty20 cricket came in 2005 and I made my debut in 2006. So, it's probably a timing issue to be able to get there, but it's nice to be the first player to do it. And hopefully with time, there's going to be a lot more players around the world… I am sure the guy behind me [Virat Kohli batting in the nets when Taylor was speaking to the media at Seddon Park here] is going to be there and he could play 200 of all of them," said Taylor.

Forty international centuries in 430 matches may not seem like a spectacular statistic but Taylor's contribution to New Zealand's cricket is beyond numbers. Recently, he almost single-handedly won the ODI series 3-0 against India after suffering a 5-0 thrashing in the T20I series.

Taylor, who has spent a lot of time in India mostly due to IPL, said his family is very fond of the country. "My daughter raves on about going to India four or five times in her life. You learn a lot in the classroom but you also learn a lot about life by being able to travel and experience different cultures," said Taylor.

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