“Pressure brings the best out of Virat Kohli” - Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar has said that he is not too worried about Virat Kohli’s run drought. According to the former batsman, the Indian skipper has shown over the years that he thrives under pressure, and it is only a matter of time before he does it again.
Virat Kohli, who failed to score a single international century in 2020, was dismissed for 11 on Day 3 of the first Test against England in Chennai. Speaking to Star Sports, Gavaskar said:
"Pressure is what brings the best out of Virat Kohli. And we've seen that time and again over the years then when he's got his back to the wall is when he plays his best cricket. Sometimes when you're batting at No. 4 and you're 200/2 when you go in to bat, you tend to think that batting is easy. He knows now that batting is not easy and he's got to put everything out there and focus.”
Virat Kohli has returned to Test cricket following a short paternity break. He missed three of the four Tests in Australia. The 32-year-old's last international century came in November 2019 during India’s first day-night Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens. Gavaskar added in this regard:
"I just think that he is due for a big score. Last year was the first when he didn’t have a hundred, in any form of the game, which is so rare. For the last seven-eight years, every single year, he's got at least five-six hundreds in all forms of the game. Last year, I knew we had the pandemic, but still very rare to see that Virat Kohli did not have a three-figure score. And 2021, he’d be hoping to change that."
Virat Kohli’s record in 2020
In a year which was severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, Virat Kohli played three Tests and scored 116 runs at an average of 19.33. His best score of 74 came in the first Test against Australia in Adelaide.
Although he did not reach three figures in ODIs as well, he had an impressive run in the 50-over format last year, scoring 431 runs in nine matches at an average of 47.88. His highest score of 89 also came Down Under
In the T20I format, Virat Kohli scored 295 runs in 10 matches at an average of just under 37.
With India on the backfoot in Chennai, the hosts will be expecting a captain’s knock from Virat Kohli in the second innings.