IND vs NZ | Virat Kohli knows he needs a hundred to silence critics, says Simon Doull

India have locked horns with New Zealand in the second Test of the two-match series in Mumbai. Captain Virat Kohli, who opted out of the three-match T20Is and first Test in Kanpur, returned for the series decider, but fell for a duck after a debatable leg-before call.

Kohli has 7,765 runs from 97 Test matches with an impressive average of 51.09. However, his lack of consistency in recent seasons has been a worrying sign. 

His last international century came in the pink-ball Test against Bangladesh in November 2019 at Eden Gardens. The 33-year-old is currently having a century drought since 56 innings and 740 days. 

Meanwhile, former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull has stated that Kohli will need a hundred to silence the critics. 

“They know how big this is, how big that wicket is. Virat knows how many innings it has been (since his last international century). He says he doesn't know how many it has been, but he is not being honest either. He knows exactly when he had scored his last hundred and he knows that he needs another hundred to silence some of the critics. So he is feeling the pressure as much as anyone,” he said speaking to Star Sports after the toss on Friday.

Doull further added that Kohli is currently facing a lot of criticism, as he has set high standards for himself.

“And rightly, he should. He sets such high standard. That's the problem. When you set such high standards, so far above the rest, how do you stick to it? At times you will have a lull and this is one of those lulls. He is too good a player, but lets hope that (century) happens in the next Test match and not this.”