Virat Kohli’s batting form in the highest form of the game has been a big cause of concern for the Indian cricket team. The legendary batter has not been able to get into the groove in this format and despite getting starts, he is not being able to convert them.
In the first 2 Test matches of the ongoing 3-match Test series between India and New Zealand, Virat Kohli has had scores of 0, 70, 1 and 17. Yes, he did have an impressive knock in the 2nd innings of the 1st game at Bengaluru, but it didn’t manage to shift our focus from the broader picture- Virat Kohli’s dwindling Test numbers.
Former Indian Test cricketer and now-turned cricket pundit, Aakash Chopra, has highlighted Virat’s poor form in Test cricket in a video in his popular YouTube channel.
“Is Virat Kohli’s Test form a concern? He has scored only two centuries in the last five years. It’s a concern if you see his numbers for the last five years and that was before the start of this Test match. He played only six innings in 2020 and had an average of 19. He played 19 innings in 2021 but had an average of 28, with no century,” Aakash Chopra said.
“In 2022, he played 11 innings, again an average of 26, with no century. He did score two centuries in 2023 for sure, the average jumped to 55, but let’s also remember that one century came in a drawn game on a flat pitch in Ahmedabad. You won’t rate that too much. This year as well, he was going at an average of 32 in eight innings and now this Test match has also passed,” he added.
Virat Kohli had smashed 2 centuries in 2023
The year 2023 was a dream year for Virat Kohli. He had 2 Test centuries under his belt and had finished as the highest run-getter of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 with 765 runs and had a mind-boggling average of 95.62.
Virat Kohli’s first Test century in 2023 came against Australia on 9th March 2023 in a drawn game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This was a classy knock of 186 runs.
His 2nd Test century in 2023 came in an away game against West Indies where he scored 121 runs on 20th July 2023 in another drawn game.
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