India’s talismanic batsman Virat Kohli, who has been at his best in the past, is currently going through a tough situation in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Kohli has many landmarks that are hard to beat, but his poor form at the moment has put him under the scanner. Previously, the 36-year-old carried the Indian team on his shoulders and won many awards in Test cricket. However, people started criticizing him for playing poor knocks in successive Tests.
As of now, Australian pacer Scott Boland, who has been added to the BGT team mid-series, has become Kohli’s worst nightmare.
The 36-year-old, often called the greatest cricketer of all time, started the ongoing BGT series on a good note and fans were hoping that the batsman would maintain consistency in the series. However, Kohli disappointed his fans with his poor show with the bat.
In the Perth Test at BGT 2024-25, Kohli played an unbeaten 100-run knock from 143 balls at a strike rate of 69.93 during India’s second innings, which helped the tourists to a massive 295-run win over the mighty Australia.
Kohli was brimming with confidence as he stepped onto the crease at Adelaide Oval after his century in Perth. However, Kohli took no time in breaking the hearts of Indian fans as he was dismissed by Australian pacer Mitchell Starc in the first innings after conceding only 7 runs off 8 balls at a strike rate of 87.50.
Later, in the second innings at the Adelaide Oval, the Indian batsman could only score 11 runs off 21 balls before succumbing to Scott Boland. Australia made a massive comeback in the game as the hosts registered a massive 10-wicket win over India. After the second Test, Australia leveled the series to India at 1-1.
After the defeat in Adelaide, the Indian team traveled to Brisbane to face Australia for the third Test match of the series. Despite the Brisbane Test being played due to incessant rain, Kohli still disappointed his fans.
In his first innings at The Gabba, Kohli played a three-run knock off 16 balls and was dismissed against Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood.
Cricket fans expected a blistering knock from Kohli in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. However, the star India batsman continued his poor form again.
Kohli scored 36 runs off 86 balls at a strike rate of 41.86 in the Melbourne Test. Later in the innings, Kohli was dismissed again by Boland.
In the second innings, the 36-year-old played a disappointing knock of just five runs from 29 balls and was dismissed by Australian pacer Starc.
India conceded a 184-run defeat against Australia in the Melbourne Test, eliminating their eligibility for the World Test Championship (WTC) for 2023-2025.
Cricket fans were hoping to get a glimpse of Kohli’s return in the Sydney Test. However, the Indian batsmen failed to turn the situation around.
The 36-year-old had another poor performance in Sydney, scoring just 17 runs from 69 balls. He was fired again by Boland on Friday.
Kohli, who has been dismissed all seven times in the ongoing BGT series against Australia, has been caught in the slips after being caught by the Australian wicketkeeper or edged outside off on a stump delivery.
Statistics show that Australian pacer Boland is Kohli’s worst nightmare in Tests. The Indian batsman faced Bolland in six innings in the long format and scored just 32 runs at a strikeout rate of 32.65 against the Australian pacer. Kohli’s overall batting average against Borland is only 8.
Boland removed Kohli four times in Tests. In the ongoing prestigious BGT series, Bolland has dismissed the Indian middle-order batsman three times. The other was in the 2023 WTC final at The Oval, when Kohli succumbed to Boland’s pace.
As India undergoes a transition in the Test cricket team, Kohli will need to return to his original form to retain his place in the team. Indian cricket fans are hoping that miracles continue to happen for the 36-year-old.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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