‘Last 7-8 years, he has got at least 5-6 hundreds in all forms’: Gavaskar feels Kohli is 'due for a big score'
India vs England: Kohli went the entire 2020 without scoring a single international century for India, the first time it happened in 12 years.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has backed Virat Kohli to end his century drought in international cricket and is confident that a big score is around the corner for the India skipper. Kohli last hit a century for India in November of 2019 – in their first-ever Day-Night Test match against Bangladesh in Kolkata. On Sunday, Kohl fell cheaply for 11, out caught bat pad off Dom Bess, but Gavaskar believes Kohli thrives in pressure and will be back scoring big ones soon.
Also Read | 'Kohli got opened up': Butcher explains how Bess got India captain out
"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," Gavaskar said on the Star Sports Network during Day 3 of the India-England Test in Chennai.
Also Read | ‘That little line’: Gavaskar explains how Pant can become 'lot more consistent'
In fact, Kohli went the entire 2020 without scoring a single international century for India. Although there was very limited cricket for India in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was the first time in 12 years that the India captain did not have a century to show. But with India's 2021 cricket campaign already off the mark, Gavaskar predicts big things for Kohli.
"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," Gavaskar added. "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."