The India vs Australia 3rd test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023 will be played in Indore from March 01. Before the start of the match, the question “should Shubman Gill replace KL Rahul in the 3rd test” has been replaced with “can Kohli end his test century drought” haunting cricket lovers and Kohli fans all across the globe. Although it is humanely impossible to predict such outcomes, we will discuss certain pointers in this piece that might favor Virat Kohli in ending his test century drought.
Win the Toss and Bat First in Indore
This is one of the most important factors that Kohli will need if he is to break his century drought in test cricket. The Holkar Stadium pitch in Indore has traditionally favored batsmen. Additionally, the boundaries at this venue are short. If India decides to bat first after winning the toss or is put to bat first, Virat Kohli will have the best possible condition to score his 28th test century. Kohli’s last test century came against Bangladesh in 2019 at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It has been more than 3 years since he scored a 100 in the longest format of the game.
Kohli broke his international century drought in Asia Cup 2022 against Afghanistan and has scored 3 ODI centuries since then. Who knows with the perfect conditions, a fresh pitch to bat on and a bit of luck, we might see him score his 28th test century and 75th overall.
A Weakened Australian Bowling Attack
This factor is again an important factor that the Kohli fans must be looking at before the start of the 3rd test match of BGT 2023 in Indore. The Australian bowling attack for BGT 2023 was not the strongest during the first 2 test matches with the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green recuperating from injuries. Hazlewood has already been ruled out of the remained of the test series and Pat Cummins will miss the 3rd test as he is attending to his ill mother. Starc and Green are expected to play in the 3rd test but since both of them are returning from injury, the bowling attack looks a little bit more fragile. If Kohli can maneuver the strike and keep his calm, then he will surely get to his 28th test ton.
Apart from the factors mentioned above, there are no external factors that might help Kohli break his international test century drought. However, we know him as a fighter who scored in the toughest of conditions across the globe. Even if the aforementioned factors do not check out during the 3rd test match, who knows if he can still get to his 28th test century through his sheer grit and determination? We will have to wait until the conclusion of the 3rd test to find out!