"It will not be a long-term concern" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli failing to convert his 50s into 100s

Aakash Chopra believes Virat Kohli failing to convert his starts into big scores will not remain a concern for too long.

Kohli played a 45-run knock in the recently concluded first Test against Sri Lanka before he was castled by Lasith Embuldeniya. The modern batting great has endured a two-year-long wait for an international century, with his last ton coming in the pink-ball Test against Bangladesh in November 2019.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was asked if Virat Kohli failing to convert his fifties into hundreds is a long-term concern for the team. He replied:

"In my opinion, it will not be a long-term concern. You are talking about Virat Kohli, he will eventually find form, he is class. Class is permanent, form is temporary. Currently, he is going through a phase."

The former India opener pointed out that Kohli's recent struggles put Sachin Tendulkar's massive achievement of 100 international centuries into perspective. Chopra elaborated:

"Suddenly when you think about this phase, you realize that the job Sachin Paaji did was amazing. It seemed Virat Kohli will reach 100 centuries in a jiffy but he is not able to reach there. He reaches 40 or 50, there is a concentration lapse, plays a full delivery off the back foot or fiddles with a wide delivery."

Most cricket experts had predicted that Kohli would easily surpass Tendulkar's record of 100 international centuries. However, the 33-year-old is still 30 centuries short of the landmark and it might be a tall ask for him to reach there.

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"Virat Kohli doesn't have to change anything technically" - Aakash Chopra

Virat Kohli seems to be having lapses in concentration after getting set

Aakash Chopra believes Kohli doesn't need to make any alterations to his technique. He explained:

"He doesn't have to change anything technically, doesn't need a radical change, he has a very good temperament, we all know that, else he wouldn't have scored these many runs. We know he is an absolute genius, he is a modern master but is going through a phase where whatever he tries to do, one mistake is happening."

While acknowledging that Kohli's recent record is a bit of a concern, the renowned commentator is optimistic about him turning things around. Chopra observed:

"It remains to be seen how far he can keep that one mistake but it will happen, the century will be scored. At this point in time, it is a bit of a concern because his average has been less than 30 if we see from 2021. That's not ideal, that's not for him, that's not for the team either."

Kohli will hope to end his wait for an international century at the Royal Challengers Bangalore's home ground in Bengaluru. The presence of spectators in his adopted home ground could also work to his advantage.