Virat Kohli Has To Wait Patiently: VVS Laxman On Indian Skipper's Century

Former Indian player VVS Laxman said that Indian skipper Virat Kohli will have to play a long innings to get towards his long-awaited Test hundred.

Kohli has 70 international centuries next to his name — 43 in ODIs and 27 in Tests. It has been a two-year drought for the Indian skipper since he last reached the three-figure mark.

Kohli scored his last hundred against Bangladesh in the Day-Night Test match at the Eden Gardens in November 2019.

Since then, Kohli has made plenty of the fifties but has struggled to bring up his 71st international hundred that takes him ahead of former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.

In the ongoing second Test against New Zealand, despite getting a good start in the second innings, Kohli was dismissed by Rachin Ravindra on 36.

The left-arm spinner pitched a slow-bounced delivery from a good length, which got Kohli’s under-edge and crashed into his stumps.

VVS Laxman explains what goes wrong with Virat Kohli on the pitch

Laxman said that whenever Kohli is batting at the crease, everyone desperately wants him to get a hundred.

“It’s not about the mindset. The fact of the matter is, till the time Virat Kohli is on the crease, everyone thinks ‘today is the match, today is the innings where he is going to get that 3-figure score,” Laxman told Star Sports.

“Till the time, he is in the middle, he is in complete control. It happened in a couple of matches in England. It happened in Adelaide where he was dominating the Australian attack before being run out by Ajinkya Rahane. Even today, the shot that he played was unfortunate, the ball came very slow, there was an inside edge and he got bowled,” he added.

I just think Virat Kohli has to wait patiently: VVS Laxman

Laxman advised Kohli to have patience and said there was no problem in his pattern of dismissals.

“I just think he has to wait patiently. If there is a pattern in the way he is getting dismissed, when he is out there in the middle if he is struggling to time the ball, if he is struggling to get on top of the ball, then it’s a problem. I don’t think he has that problem,” he said.

“I just think it’s about him going out and playing a long innings and once that long innings comes, once he gets to that milestone, we all know what Virat Kohli can do.”

India seems to be in the driver’s seat position as New Zealand need 400 runs more to chase with five more wickets in hand.

Also Read: IND vs NZ 2021: Watch – Virat Kohli Knocked Over By Rachin Ravindra After A Sedate Knock