Kohli silenced critics and ended his Test century drought with a ton in Ahmedabad, showing his dissatisfaction with previous performances.
Following his impressive ton, his 75th across formats, Kohli spoke out a week later about his century drought and how he responded to his critics.
During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at home last month, criticism of Virat Kohli had peaked as he failed to convert his starts, and some even questioned his place in Test XI. However, Kohli silenced his critics with a stunning 186 in Ahmedabad, reminiscent of his feat of breaking his international century drought the previous September. Just a week after this impressive performance, Kohli spoke out about his century drought and his response to the criticism he had faced.
Kohli’s previous Test century was scored in the historic Pink Ball Test match against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in 2019, where he made a match-winning 136. However, he had since played 41 innings across 1205 days, managing only five fifties and failing to reach the three-figure mark. By March, some fans and veterans had become impatient and questioned Kohli’s place in the Indian Test team. Nevertheless, Kohli put all doubts to rest on March 13 with remarkable innings in the 4th Test against Australia.
“Kohli finds calmness and comfort in scoring a century and converting it into a big one.”
Kohli shared with AB de Villiers on the latter’s YouTube channel that scoring a century and converting it into a big one gave him a feeling of calmness, relaxation, and excitement again.
Kohli added that scoring a century and converting it into a big one helped him become comfortable with his game and thinking. It gave him a grounded feeling, which he wanted to maintain from a cricketing perspective. Although he was already happy and relaxed, he desired to be in such a space as much as possible when playing cricket.
Kohli then discussed his fondness for the red-ball format and explained why he needed to be more content with just scoring half-centuries when he struggled to reach the century mark.
Kohli and AB discuss the importance of Test cricket and Kohli’s desire to score big runs.
Kohli mentioned that he and AB had been in contact for some time, and AB knew how much Test cricket meant to him. Even though he had performed well in T20Is and scored centuries in ODIs, Kohli felt that white-ball cricket depended on having the right frame of mind for a particular day or period to overcome challenges.
Kohli mentioned that he and AB had been in contact for some time, and AB knew how much Test cricket meant to him. Even though he had performed well in T20Is and scored centuries in ODIs, Kohli felt that white-ball cricket depended on having the right frame of mind for a particular day or period to overcome challenges.
Despite playing on a pitch that didn’t offer much to the bowlers, Kohli explained that batting for 7-8 hours was still necessary, especially since Australia was patient with their fields and could go on the defensive. This constant test from the opposition was something that Kohli always appreciated as a cricketer.
Kohli stated that despite getting decent scores, he wasn’t satisfied with his performance. He takes pride in performing for the team to the best of his ability, which he felt he needed to do more. Kohli desired to score big runs, which has always been his driving force, whether playing at home or away. He admitted that he was doing that to a certain extent but wasn’t having the same impact.
Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli spoke about his passion for Test cricket and his pride in scoring big runs to help the team. Despite success in T20Is and scoring numerous ODI centuries, Kohli expressed dissatisfaction with his Test cricket performances. He says white-ball cricket is more of a mental game, and one can overcome obstacles with the right mindset. Kohli and his friend AB have been in contact for a while, and AB is aware of Kohli’s appreciation for Test cricket.
Kohli talked about his recent experience playing against Australia on a pitch that offered little assistance to the bowlers. He emphasized that even in such conditions, it was necessary to bat for a considerable period because Australia could maintain defensive field placements, and their patient approach constantly tested him. Despite these challenges, Kohli cherished the experience as a cricketer.