New Delhi: Virat Kohli has struggled in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under this time. What is typically a productive venue for him has proven difficult as his Test form continues to decline. Kohli spent another lengthy period at the crease at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but his stay ended with just 17 runs, as he once again fell victim to the recurring issue of edging a delivery outside off-stump, this time off Scott Boland.
Virat Kohli’s recent form in Test cricket has been far from ideal. After his failure in the first innings at the MCG, he now finds himself among the players with the lowest batting averages since the beginning of 2024.
Having missed the entire series against England earlier in the year, Kohli’s performances in matches against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia later in 2024 have been disappointing. In 5 first innings, he has managed just 35 runs. Among those with 5 or more innings this year, Kohli’s performance only surpasses that of Keshav Maharaj in terms of runs scored in the first innings of Test matches.
Lowest batting average in first innings since 2024:
Keshav Maharaj: 5.33
Virat Kohli: 7.00
Shoaib Bashir: 8.33
Jasprit Bumrah: 10.00
The only player close to Kohli in terms of struggles is New Zealand’s wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell, who averages 12.33. The nearest specialist batsman is Aiden Markram, who has an average of 14.50 while opening the batting.
Kohli’s difficulties were further highlighted when Jasprit Bumrah, who outscored him with a late 22-run cameo in the innings to provide some extra runs, now has 70 runs in seven innings. Bumrah’s performance has pushed his average above Kohli’s under these conditions.
