“He is lacking his concentration” – Madan Lal on Virat Kohli’s century drought ahead of 2nd Test vs SL

By Adam D Anglo On Mar 12, 2022

Former India player Madan Lal feels Virat Kohli might be lacking concentration, which is inhibiting him from playing big knocks.

The talismanic run-scorer has gone past the 50+ run mark but has not scored a century since November 2019. Madan Lal, 1983 World Cup winner, believes the century drought might be playing on Kohli’s head every time he gets out to bat.

Speaking on Aaj Tak, Madan Lal said in this regard:

“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.”

Virat Kohli looked determined and timed the ball from the middle of the bat on day 1 of the Mohali Test during his 45-run knock. However, a lapse in concentration induced him to play against the spin, with Lasith Embuldeniya knocking him over.

“The more number of innings it takes to reach his next hundred, the more the pressure” – Madan Lal on Virat Kohli

The 70-year-old believes the talismanic run-scorer should not think about his lean phase when he comes out to bat in Bengaluru in the pink ball Test.

“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,” Lal added.

The second Test between India and Sri Lanka starts on March 12 (Saturday) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The IPL 2022 schedule and the list of IPL teams is available here, click to view.

Edited by Bhargav

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