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Kohli managed to muster only 190 runs across 10 innings in 5 matches in the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Virat Kohli (Picture Credit: AP)
What goes up must come down. So did Virat Kohli as ‘The King’ had his crown weigh down on him heavily this time around in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with the talisman failing to make his mark with the bat.
Kohli, whose record with the bat props him up as the fifth-highest run-getter in the history of the Border-Gavaskar series, struggled to rekindle his old self this time around, failing to register any meaningful scores (except one century) in the current edition of the series.
This comes as a staggering surprise for all, as Kohli has an enviable record on Australian soil especially, scoring 1352 runs in 13 matches across four trips Down Under, second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s 1809 runs in 20 matches.
In fact, the talisman batter recorded only 190 runs in 5 matches, with a hundred of the same coming in the form of an unbeaten century in India’s win in the first Test after which Kohli has struggled to find any luck with the bat.
This marks his second-lowest run total in a BGT series (third-lowest, if we include the 2020/21 series where he left after the first Test for personal reasons) across the span of his esteemed career.
Runs Scored By Virat Kohli in Every Border-Gavaskar Series So Far In His Career
- 2011/12 (Australia): Runs: 300
- 2012/13 (India): Runs: 284
- 2014/15 (Australia): Runs: 692
- 2016/17 (India): Runs: 46
- 2018/19 (Australia): Runs: 282
- 2020/21 (Australia): Runs: 74
- 2022/23 (India): Runs: 297
- 2024/25 (Australia): Runs: 190
Even more disappointing (or rather frustrating) was Kohli’s mode of dismissal across the series. The Indian was dismissed with a delivery outside the off stump that ultimately was nicked to the slips for an easy catch a staggering 8 times out of 9 dismissals in the series. This seemingly-predictable weakness allowed Australia to always fall back on a safe-and-sound gameplan to nullify Kohli’s presence at the crease at their will throughout.
His form and age have all but raised questions regarding whether the legendary Indian still has it in him to keep playing at the highest level in long-form cricket for India. But, India will have their hands full with figuring out how to navigate such a seismic change, if and when it arrives. But, for now, they will continue to take their chances to salvage a win in the final fifth Test to tie up the series, retain their trophy and most importantly, to keep their WTC hopes alive.
