Former India head coach Ravi Shastri opens up about the struggles of Virat Kohli to not reach his 71st century during the 2020-22 period.
Kohli went on an unprecedented lean patch in his career where he went without a century for 1019 consecutive days between November 23, 2019, and September 8, 2022. He ended that century drought, notching up his 71st international hundred with a maiden T20I ton against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup last year.
Ravi Shastri was the head coach until late 2021. He said that the reason for Kohli’s lean patch was mental fatigue and simply bad luck.
But, the former head coach added, Kohli never lost his passion for the game and hence could bounce back and is now in another peak.
Speaking on the Club Prairie Fire podcast, Ravi Shastri said: “He went through three years where he could not come close to a hundred, didn’t look like coming close to a hundred because of a combination of mental fatigue and things just not going right. The rub of the green not going your way.
“But the fact of the matter is right through that period, he never lost that drive and passion for the game which is the reason why he is doing so well today when he got the opportunity. You can see that hunger, you can see that look in his eyes which I saw from the first game of the World Cup which suggests to me that he is extremely determined.”
Ravi Shastri reckons Virat Kohli can score his 50th century in the World Cup 2023 semis or final
Former England captain Michael Vaughan asked Ravi Shastri whether he believes Virat Kohli can score his 50th ODI century in either the semi-final or the final, should India reach it, of the ongoing World Cup 2023.
Shastri promptly said in affirmation: “Absolutely. Maybe even before that. When such players get on a roll, you don’t know. They just start stringing hundreds for fun.”
Virat Kohli is currently the third-highest scorer in the tournament, and the highest for India, with 543 runs in 8 innings at an average of 108 with 2 centuries and 4 fifties. With 49 ODI centuries, Kohli is just one more ton away from going past Sachin Tendulkar’s record.
