Virat Kohli, one of the most consistent batsmen for India, has slipped out of the top 20 in the ICC Test batting ranking for the first time in ten years after the 3-0 debacle against New Zealand. In his last five Tests, Virat Kohli failed to capitalize on home conditions. He could manage only one fifty in those five matches. Although he did not look out of touch, he appeared in a hurry and played some questionable shots in a few innings.
With Kohli turning 36 years old on November 5th and a mediocre Test average of just 32 in the last four years, Indian fans and many experts believe he should take retirement from the format or, at least, be given the same treatment as Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara – making him play domestic cricket.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth Stands Behind Virat Kohli Amid Run Struggles
Amid all the trolling and criticism, Krishnamachari Srikkanth said it is too soon to even consider excluding Kohli from India’s Test squad. He believes that Kohli will once again redeem himself in Australia.
Expressing support for Kohli, “In my opinion, Virat Kohli will start doing in Australia (comeback). His area is Australia. I think that’s his strength. I think it’s too early to talk like this about Virat Kohli (moving on from him). I won’t accept it. Virat Kohli has got a lot of time,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Virat Kohli’s Run Drought in 2024
Once rated as one of the best batters of this generation, in the last few years, Kohli has not been at his best in the red ball format in recent years. Since January 2020, he has scored 1833 runs at an average of 32, managing only two centuries from 33 Tests.
Kohli managed just 250 runs in the last six Tests at an average of 22.72.
In 2024, he also struggled in white-ball cricket. In the recently concluded T20 World Cup in June, his total tally of runs was 151, at an average of 18.87, with only one fifty, which came in the final against South Africa.
Later, in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, Kohli struggled against spin and his highest score was 24. Overall, this year, in international cricket, Kohli has scored 488 runs at an average of 20.33 in 25 innings, reaching a 50-plus score only twice.
Can Virat Kohli Rise Again? The Ultimate Challenge Awaits in the BGT Series!
Everyone is expecting Kohli to turn things around and score plenty of runs in the upcoming five-match Test series in Australia.
He has scored 2042 runs in 25 Tests at an average of 47.48 against Australia, including eight hundreds – six of which came on Australian soil. He has played 13 matches in Australia, scoring 1352 runs at an average of 54.08, making it one of his favorite places to score runs.
For India to win the BGT series again and qualify for the WTC final independently, they must win four Tests and draw one. One more time, India will heavily rely on its most experienced batsman, Virat Kohli.