Virat Kohli’s Test average has fallen below 50 for the first time since 2017, following his struggle to settle with his bat and in the search for the first hundred for over two years. Since the mentioned year, he has been the only cricketer to maintain an average of 50+ in the red-ball format. The record continued for the next two years after 2019, although he has been reluctant to raise the bat for a ton; however, it exists no more following the two consecutive dismissals under 25 in the second Test match versus Sri Lanka.
The Chinnaswamy crowd went absolutely silent on Kohli’s hard luck. The ex-skipper went back to the pavilion on 23 in the first inning of the men in blue and could not surpass 13 in the second inning. The right-handed batter, as a consequence, averages 49.95 gatherings 8043 runs in 101 Test matches. Notably, he is among the very few elite Indian cricketers who have played 100 or more Test matches.
In the second inning, when he was dismissed in a similar fashion, he tried to rectify the mistake. Still, in the search of it, Praveen Jayawickrama’s LBW tossed up, full and around off, landed, turned back in, but did not bounce much, saw Kohli flicking on the back foot, unluckily hitting the pads. The appeal with point finger raised up witnessed Kohli walking back with disappointment with the same reaction on the face he had during the first dismissal.
Can Virat Kohli re-get a Test average of 50+ in Test cricket?
Notably, Virat was required to smash at least 43 runs to maintain his Test average above 50, but since something like that did not happen, the record backed out. However, it can still be on the board if the player manages to add decent runs in India’s upcoming red-ball encounters.
The former Indian skipper has been looking for a hundred since 2019. His last international hundred came versus Bangladesh in November. In the forthcoming year, the terrific batter managed only 74 runs in three games and went on to add 536 runs in 11 games of the following year. The calendar year has seen Kohli in three Tests so far, with 189 runs, including one half-century.
Kohli started his Test career in 2011 and got the captaincy lead from MS Dhoni in 2014. Undoubtedly, he has been the greatest and most successful Indian Test captain with the highest winning percentage. However, recent years have seen his downfall as a player with billions of hopes anticipating their hero to bounce back. He gave up Test captaincy a few days after he left limited-over leadership following the controversies with the BCCI.
