Virat Kohli was dismissed for 17 runs in first innings of SCG Test© AFP
Questions around Virat Kohli‘s Test career are bound to intensify, with the poster boy of Indian cricket continuing on an embarrassing path with the bat. For the 6th time since the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, Virat was dismissed while chasing an outside-off delivery. Kohli faced a whopping 68 balls with patience, scoring 17 runs before engaging with another 6th stump delivery, and ended up landing an easy catch into the hands of Australian debutant Beau Webster in slips.
Courtesy of his dismissal, Kohli went on to register an embarrassing record, as he recorded the second-lowest average in Test cricket, counting matches since the start of 2024. In fact, Kohli is the only mainstream batter in the top 4, with the other three being bowlers.
Lowest first innings averages since the start of 2024:
1. Keshav Maharaj – 5.4
2. Virat Kohli – 7
3. Jasprit Bumrah – 8
4. Shoaib Bashir – 8.3
(Figures till Virat Kohli’s dismissal in the first innings of the Sydney Test. Counting only those who have played at least 5 innings.)
Kohli could’ve lost his wicket on the first ball he faced but Steve Smith dropped his catch in the slips, though he has the opposite stance on the matter. Smith seemed to have let the ball touch the ground as he tried to grab the ball in slips. The third umpire eventually ruled the decision in Kohli’s favour, giving him a lifeline.
The star batter looked to dig deep, play with patience but wasn’t able to prolong is stay in the middle. Though he played over 60 balls, runs couldn’t flow freely from Kohli’s bat.
With only one innings left before the series concludes, Kohli’s failure in the second outing at Sydney could result into his long-term exile from the Test squad. Reports of Rohit Sharma calling it quits are already making rounds on the internet. If Kohli fails again, his return to India’s Test side could also be in jeopardy.
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