"He has scored such 45 runs many times" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli missing out on a big score again in the 1st IND vs SL Test

Aakash Chopra has pointed out that Virat Kohli playing a middling knock has almost become the norm for the former Indian skipper.

Kohli scored 45 runs off 76 deliveries in India's first innings of the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka. He was bowled by Lasith Embuldeniya just when he looked well entrenched in the middle to play a substantial knock.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted that Kohli is falling short of the lofty standards he has set. He elaborated:

"We were looking for a hundred in the 100th Test match but the wait for the hundred is not ending at all. The truth is that if we see from 2021, his average is less than 30, which is generally not the case. He has scored such 45 runs many times. It happened in South Africa also."

The former India opener pointed out that a misjudgment of length led to Virat Kohli's dismissal. Chopra explained:

"It seemed he was batting okay today, looked in flow but in the end got out. There were two balls, he played one ball forward and it hit his bat and he went back to a similar ball, it turned and hit his stumps. So once again the big runs are missing."

Kohli seemed to have gotten his eye in after opening his account with a slightly fortuitous shot. However, he played back to a fullish delivery, which turned across his blade and rattled his stumps.

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"Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were also scrutinized" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli's indifferent returns

Virat Kohli averaged 28.21 in the 11 Tests he played last year

Aakash Chopra added that Virat Kohli will be scrutinized as much as Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were for their underwhelming performances. He observed:

"Rohit had said not to talk about Kohli. But you will have to talk because he is an exceptional player and when you play five or six batters, all of them are scrutinized. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were also scrutinized."

The renowned commentator highlighted that batters need to make it big once they get off to starts. Chopra said:

"I am not saying that he has reached till there but the truth is that whoever plays for India, he has to score runs and if he gets a start, he needs to make it big because some batters are there every day who are unable to score runs and that is why you play an extra batter. His performance here is an indication that he is not out of form but also not at his supreme powers."

On the flip side, Aakash Chopra also lauded Virat Kohli for reaching the significant milestone of 100 Tests. He added that the modern batting great has popularized the format amongst the current generation.