'Want your 71st century in Pakistan’: PAK fan makes special request to Kohli during Rawalpindi Test, picture goes viral

Virat Kohli's wait for an elusive 71st century was prolonged after he was bowled by Lasith Embuldeniya in the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Virat Kohli had "butterflies in his stomach" as he stepped out for his 100th Test appearance against Sri Lanka, albeit as a batter. The mercurial cricketer started his journey as a specialist batter after 68 Tests in charge and went on to score 45 in the first innings. The 33-year-old Kohli has scored 27 centuries and more than 8,000 runs in the game's longest format but has been stuck on the landmark for over two years now.

Pakistan fan makes special request for Virat Kohli (Getty Images | PTI)

Kohli's wait for an elusive 71st century was prolonged after he was bowled by Lasith Embuldeniya. He last reached the three-figure mark in November 2019 and fans across the world have been eagerly waiting to see the former skipper notch up a ton. The talk around his "milestones and materialistic achievements" doesn't bother Kohli but a fan from Pakistan has a special request for the champion batter.

During the ongoing Test between Pakistan and Australia in Rawalpindi, a Pakistan fan was spotted with a poster asking Kohli to score a century in his country. “We want your 71st century in Pakistan," read the placard. Another fan was holding a sign that read, "Biggest Match 23 Oct 2022. Pakistan vs India (T20WC). Rohit vs Shaheen'. Notably, India and Pakistan are scheduled to face each other in this year's T20 World Cup opener at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Despite playing international cricket for nearly 14 years, Kohli has never played in Pakistan but he flaunts an impressive record against the neighbours. The batter has scored 536 runs at an average of 48.72 in 13 ODIs against Pakistan and 311 runs in seven T20Is at an average of 77.75.

Kohli will be next seen in action when India take on Sri Lanka in the second Test of the series in Bengaluru, starting March 12. It will be a Day/Night contest and the focus will be on Kohli to end the wait of his 71st international ton. But he doesn't want to alter his process to convert the starts into big scores.

"You obviously feel disappointed as a batsman. I need to be mindful and convert the 30s and 40s into big scores. "I have been preparing exactly the way I have prepared and as long as I am batting well, not bothered at all. From a worldly point, people look at milestones and they talk about a lot of things and they are just conversations on the outside," Kohli on Friday said about the buzz around his hundred.

"We are somehow crazy about milestones and materialistic achievements. I personally don't think like that and I am batting well and that's the most important thing for me."