IND vs SL: 71st Hundred Playing On Virat Kohli's Head, He's Lacking Concentration: Madan Lal

Virat Kohli scored his last international century against Bangladesh in the Pink-Ball Test in 2019. Since then, he has had a rough patch in international cricket. It is over two years that he has failed to score a century across formats. Cricket fans are eagerly waiting for his 71st international ton which seems to be taking an eternity in coming.

Virat Kohli looked set to score a century in the first Test in Mohali which was his 100th. However, as it turned out, he was dismissed by Lasith Embuldeniya for 45. Former Indian all-rounder Madan Lal feels that the century drought must have been playing in Kohli’s head and that he must have felt the pressure of it.

Speaking to Aaj Tak, Madan Lal said that he lacked concentration and questioned why he played the wicket delivery on the backfoot. The ball from Embuldeniya pitched on the middle stump and beat Kohli’s bat and castled his stumps to dismiss him.

“I watched his batting. I feel somewhere he is lacking his concentration. Question was, why did he go on backfoot? Might have been a mental block. But his batting was very positive. He started getting runs as soon as he came to the crease. But definitely, he is capable,” Madan Lal said.

The former Indian cricketer said that the pressure on Virat Kohli will mount the longer he takes to score his 71st international century. He further added saying that the Banglore surface might suit him since he plays regularly for RCB in the IPL at the venue and knows the conditions very well.

Bengaluru Track Will Suit Virat Kohli: Madan Lal

“We all want him to get out of this (century drought). I’m sure it must have been playing in his head. And one more thing, the more number of innings it takes to reach his next hundred, the more the pressure will be on him. In Bengaluru he will get one advantage which is that the pitch offers bounce and hence he might play better,” he added.

Bengaluru will host the second Test between India and Sri Lanka from March 12 onwards. It will become the third venue in India to host a day-night Test match. The match starts at 2 pm IST across all five days.

Also Read: India vs Sri Lanka Match Preview- Sri Lanka Tour of India 2022, 2nd Test