Chasing an elusive international hundred for 28 months now, Virat Kohli would hope for a turnaround at his ‘spiritual home’ when India takes on an under-prepared Sri Lanka in the second Day/Night Test here from Saturday.
Interestingly, the last time Kohli reached the three-figure mark, it was a pink-ball match back in November 2019, in which India thrashed Bangladesh by an innings and 46 runs in Kolkata. He had scored 136 back then.
The former India skipper has taken strike in 28 innings since then, but a Test hundred has remained elusive. The 33-year-old has got a 50-plus score only six times with the highest being a knock of 79 against South Africa in Cape Town in January.
Now, he returns to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, a venue he knows like the back of his palm as he has played here for more than a decade for his IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore. That comforting familiarity with the conditions may also help.
A colossus that he has developed into in world cricket, expectations are always high from the star cricketer, who is perhaps enduring the most challenging phase of his career. But, he can breathe easy since he will face a Sri Lanka attack that hardly has the wherewithal to trouble the India batters.
Since it is a pink-ball contest, either fit-again off-spinning all-rounder Axar Patel or pacer Mohammed Siraj could replace Jayant Yadav in the playing eleven. Axar, in his last Day/Night Test in 2021, had wreaked havoc with his under cutters against England in Ahmedabad, taking 11 wickets. However, if the pitch offers assistance for the fast bowlers, Siraj would be a better option for skipper Rohit Sharma.
Its resources already not good enough to challenge the talent in the India squad, Sri Lanka will be without pace bowler Lahiru Kumara, who has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne will have to lead from the front and produce something out of the ordinary to ensure the tourist does not meet the same fate as that in the series opener. He had got starts in both the innings in Mohali, but could not convert.
Also, veterans like Angelo Mathews have to show a bit more stomach for fight. Dinesh Chandimal is likely to play as Pathum Nissanka is also out owing to an injury.
While the batters at least found runs intermittently in the previous match, the Lankan bowlers cut a sorry figure. Pacer Suranga Lakmal, playing his last series, was the only one among six bowlers, who managed an economy of under four runs. The away team will have to be miles better if it hopes to take something home from the second and final game.
