Virat Kohli has not scored a century in international cricket since 2019.
India’s star pacer Mohammad Shami has lashed out at Virat Kohli’s critics who have been criticizing the former skipper for not scoring a century across the three formats of the game for the last two and a half years.
Kohli, India’s batting superstar, has not scored a century in international cricket since November 2019 and recently gave up the Indian cricket team’s Test captaincy after he was removed as ODI captain following his resignation from the T20I captaincy of the side.
Well, Kohli’s ongoing century drought has been a topic of serious discussion amongst the cricket experts.
Amid the criticism, Shami has extended support to his former skipper and said that not scoring a century is not a big deal and one cannot judge someone of Kohli’s caliber due to his ongoing century drought.
Shami told India.com: “So what, if he (Kohli) has not scored a century. A century doesn’t define how big a player he is. It is not that he has not scored runs. He has scored the fifties consistently in the recent past and there is no reason why we should even think like that. A fifty or a sixty is also a score and as long as it is helping the team, there is no reason to complain.”
The 31-year-old pacer also admitted Kohli’s wide role in the meteoric rise of the Indian pacers and inculcating a fitness culture in the India team over the years.
He signed off by saying, “Kohli’s energy is the best thing and that rubs on to the rest of the team. He is a bowler’s captain and always gave us the freedom to express ourselves. He would always take our opinion and ask for options. We have spent so much time together and there are so many memorable moments. It will always remain with me and it is difficult to pick or choose any one such moment.”