Mohali tonic for Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

It is quite ironic that Virat Kohli is set to play his 100th Test match against Sri Lanka here from March 4 when his image and career graph have taken a hit because of the recent controversy over the way he was removed as Team India captain and a lean patch that has seen him go without an international century for almost two-and-a-half years.

Kohli would surely have liked to have played his milestone Test match in Bangalore, where his adoring RCB supporters would have given him the adulation and respect he deserves. Originally, the first Test [and Kohli's 100th] was supposed to be played in Bangalore, but as Sri Lanka had requested to play the T20 series first, the whole schedule had to be turned on its head.

‘Great occasion for all'

Taking to the media virtually, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah, while paying tribute to his former captain, said that Kohli has contributed a lot to Indian cricket and would continue to do so. "Playing the 100th Test is a special achievement, as only a handful of Indians have achieved this feat. It is a great occasion not only for him, but for all the Indian fans. Virat has made an immense contribution to Indian cricket, both as the premier batsman and a fantastic captain. He will continue to contribute in the future too. Congratulations to him and we wish him the best."

Bumrah further said that winning the Test would be a great gift to the master batsman. "Our focus anyway is to win any Test match we play. So, we are preparing accordingly with the aim to win not only this Test but also the series," said Bumrah.

As things stand for Kohli, he has to put all the controversies behind him and concentrate exclusively on being the top-class batsman he has been over the last decade-and-a-half. He has to focus on regaining his form and the rest of a couple of weeks he has got before going into the Test series would have helped him to do some introspection and start enjoying his cricket again.

The last century Kohli scored was in a Test match against Bangladesh in Kolkata on November 22, 2019 and since then he has played 15 Test matches, 25 T20Is and 21 ODIs without a three-figure knock, his longest stretch since his international debut in 2008.

Uphill task

A couple of years ago, it was predicted that he would join Sachin Tendulkar as the only player with 100 international centuries, but he has been stuck on 70 for 28 months and that is a big setback in his effort to emulate the legendary Indian.

When Kohli had played a grand knock of 254 not out against South Africa in Pune in October 2019, it was thought it was only a matter of time before he would overhaul Tendulkar. But the loss of form, cricket in pandemic times, and the controversy over captaincy have bogged him down and now his Test average has dropped to just over 50. From here, getting 30 more international centuries in the remaining period of his career looks quite an uphill task.

All eyes will be on Kohli when he plays his first Test match since giving up captaincy, and all will be hoping that he celebrates his 100th Test match with an elusive century.

Mohali to allow fans

The first Test between India and SL, which will be Virat Kohli's landmark 100th match, beginning here on Friday, will be played in front of spectators, reversing an earlier decision to hold the game behind closed doors. BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement that cricket fans will be able to witness Kohli's historic moment.