India v Sri Lanka: Virat Kohli has been chasing an elusive 71st international hundreds for 27 months and hopes to end the wait in Bengaluru.
IND vs SL: Can Virat Kohli wait for the elusive 71st International Hundreds in Chinnaswamy? (AFP photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Kohli would be hoping to end his 27-month wait for his 71st international hundred
- Kohli has gone 68 innings of international cricket without reaching the hundred
- Kohli’s last international score came in a 2019 Pink Ball game
Indian star Virat Kohli would hope to end his 27-month wait for his 71st 100s international win in his second home when India take on an ill-prepared and injury-plagued Sri Lanka in the second floodlit Test in Bengaluru.
Notably, Kohli’s last cap came in a “pink ball” game in which India beat Bangladesh by one innings and 46 runs in Kolkata in November 2019. At that time he had scored 136 goals. Kohli has gone 68 innings of international cricket without reaching triple figures since hitting 136 in Kolkata against Bangladesh in November 2019.
Also, Kohli has only managed to get a score above 50 six times, with the highest score being a 79 knockout against South Africa in Cape Town in January this year. However, Virat Kohli’s streak without a hundred is not the longest for batsmen in the top five in Tests and ODIs, as it is 32 longer streaks than Kohlis.
Kohli returns to his spiritual home in Bengaluru
Virat Kohli returns to his spiritual home in Bengaluru and M Chinnaswamy Stadium, a venue he knows like the back of his hand having run his IPL club Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for a decade.
Also, Kohli could get another boost in the form of fans as Karnataka State Cricket Association on Thursday guaranteed 100 percent spectator participation in the second test between India and Sri Lanka at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium due to a sharp drop of 19 cases and high ticket demand.
Kohli even got a start in the Mohali test, but couldn’t take full advantage of it. It’s not that he doesn’t hit well. He still hits the ball with ease and that characteristic fluency is there, but lack of concentration sometimes gets him down.
Fatigue that creeps in with a punishing schedule and age could be factors and the lack of confidence due to the noise that surrounds him outside of the cricket pitches is also something that may be affecting his batting performance.
Batting against an underperforming Sri Lankan attack on comparatively small ground is actually a perfect opportunity to get out of the skinny spot in front of the sell-out crowd that has always goaded him.
It will be the last friendly on home soil for Virat Kohli and India in 2022. After the series in Sri Lanka, there are seven more tests in the current WTC cycle.
