‘The greatest have gone through a slump’ – Allan Donald backs Virat Kohli to score 71st century soon
Virat Kohli (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Former South Africa pacer Allan Donald has backed Indian skipper Virat Kohli to end the drought of his centuries soon. Kohli has gone without a triple-digit score for over two years now, with his last hundred dating back to the 136 against Bangladesh in the 2019 Kolkata Test.
Recently, he scored a half-century in the first ODI against India, but it did not pay off as they lost the match. Kohli scored 51 (63) before he was caught by Temba Bavuma off Tabraiz Shamsi.
“I know Virat’s standards and I’m sure he will be back at some point. It won’t take long,” Donald said in an interview with the Telegraph.
“Is Virat invincible? No. But even the greatest have gone through a slump, as the game is a great leveler. Even Steve Smith hasn’t really been on fire since his comeback after the ball-tampering issue.”
He said he was not sure if Kohli was technically exposed, but South Africa stuck to the basics and let the pitch do the rest for them. According to Donald, the bowlers coped with the pressure well, which helped them win the match.
Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli did well to hang on after India lost an early wicket and went on to build a good partnership. India’s middle-order failed to perform after Kohli and Dhawan went out in quick succession as India lost five wickets in a span of 10 overs after Shikhar Dhawan fell prey to Keshav Maharaj.
The second ODI is in play at the same venue, while the third and the final ODI of the series will be played at Newlands in Cape Town. India will have to win the second ODI to stay alive in the series.
