Allan Donald on Virat Kohli: "I know Virat is hungry, he wants to leave the Test series with a 100 under his belt"

Bangladesh bowling coach Allan Donald believes Virat Kohli would be eager to end the Test series with a hundred against his name. Donald did also assert, however, that Bangladesh have bowled very well against Kohli so far and would be keen to continue doing the same.

The second Test of the two-match series between India and Bangladesh begins at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday, December 22. The visitors are 1-0 up in the series, having won the Chattogram Test by 188 runs.

Kohli was trapped lbw by Taijul Islam for one in the first innings and remained unbeaten on 19 in the second. While the 34-year-old has rediscovered his touch in white-ball cricket, he still seems to be struggling a bit in Tests.

Asked about the former India captain at a pre-match press conference, Donald hailed Kohli and said:

“It’s like bowling to Tendulkar. You know when that man walks to the crease, the value of getting it right is absolutely paramount. When the great Virat Kohli steps up and you miss a chance against him, you are going to suffer, because they don’t give many chances after that. I thought we’ve been very good against him.

Admitting that Kohli would be keen to come up with a big score in Dhaka, the Proteas legend added:

“You just feel the presence when these people walk to the crease. It’s like bowling to a (Brian) Lara. You know that all of a sudden the temperature in the building just goes up and up. For me, nothing changes tomorrow.

"I know that Virat’s hungry and he wants to prove that. He wants to leave the Test series with a 100 under his belt. I thought we have done very well against him so far, and hopefully that will continue from tomorrow onwards.”

Kohli scored a hundred in the third ODI of the three-match series against Bangladesh. However, he hasn’t reached three figures in Tests since November 2019.

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Virat Kohli’s return to form in 2022

Kohli had a poor first half in 2022. He took a break from the game after a disastrous tour of England, during which he failed to register a single score of note. However, he came back with a bang in the Asia Cup in the UAE.

The right-handed batter notched up his first international hundred in over 1000 days in the Super 4 match against Afghanistan.

The former India skipper was also the leading run-getter in the T20 World Cup 2022, smashing 296 runs in six matches at an average of 98.67 and a strike rate of 136.41.