Virat Kohli has not scored a hundred in any format for the last two years and questions are being raised about his poor form ahead of the Cape Town Test on January 11.
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Virat Kohli has not scored a century in any format for the last two years. One can say that ever since the coronavirus pandemic began, there has been no three-figure score from the Indian cricket team captain. In Tests during this two-year period, Kohli has averaged less than 30. But, in ODIs and T20Is, it is still close to 50. The last time Virat Kohli scored a century, it was in the Pink Ball Test against Bangladesh in Kolkata.
However, Virat Kohli is not too bothered about the current lean patch. The Indian skipper, who is expected to be back for the third and deciding Test in Cape Town, has said this is not the first time this has happened. “It has happened a few times in my career. England in 2014 was one of those phases. I do not kind of look at myself from the lens the outside world looks at me with. The standards have been set by me myself. They are not an occurrence from the outside world, and more than anyone else, I take a lot of pride in doing the best for the team and wanting to perform for the team regularly,” Virat Kohli said in the virtual Press conference.
Virat Kohli is on the cusp of overhauling Rahul Dravid’s tally of runs in Tests against South Africa. In 2014, Kohli averaged just 13.10 in the five-Test series against England. But, he bounced back in grand style to become the leading run-getter in Tests and ODIs over the next 4-5 years. Kohli, who will play his 99th Test, has said all these kinds of things happen.
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“You have to understand that in sport, things do not go your way all the time but at the end of the day. I realise as a player I have been involved in key moments for the side and for me that is a matter of pride that I have been a part of partnerships when the team needed it. And eventually, those moments were crucial for us. Sometimes your focal point needs to shift,” Kohli said.
In the last couple of years, Kohli has suffered from minimal injuries. He suffered a shoulder injury during the 2017 Test against Australia. He missed the Johannesburg Test due to back spasms. Kohli pointed out that playing all formats in addition to IPL was something that would take a toll on the body.
“We do play a lot of cricket and there is no denying that. As much as I take pride in being fit at all times but you do obviously take a lot of things for granted as well. I have been playing all three formats along with IPL since 2012. It is a thing that is being taken for granted that I will feature in all the games. That is not how the sport works. Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) played a lot of cricket for us 4-6 six years straight. Jadeja plays in most of the games India plays. These injuries are a natural occurrence, there has to be the right balance between quantity and intensity you play with,” Kohli said.
India has not won a Test in Cape Town ever since they started touring South Africa in 1992. Out of the five Tests, they have drawn two and lost three.
