Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan slammed Virat Kohli’s below-average performance in the Border-Gavaskar trophy, which Australia regained after a decade by winning the SCG Test by six wickets on Sunday. Barring scoring a hundred in the second innings at Perth, Kohli’s performance throughout the series was unsatisfactory.
Kohli scored 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75 and thus he failed to deliver the goods against Australia. In fact, Kohli has managed only four centuries in the last five years in Test cricket and he hasn’t been able to bring his best in the red-ball version as he been averaging around 30. In 2024, Kohli was averaging less than 25 in the multi-day format.
Pathan said a youngster could have also scored at an average of 30 if the selectors had given him an opportunity.
Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports, “He has made a lot of runs, but in 2024, batting in the first innings where you set up the match, Kohli averages just 15. If we take out his stats for the last five years, he barely averages 30. Does the Indian team deserve that from its senior player? It’s better to give a youngster a long run, tell him to get ready; even that guy will maintain a batting average of 25-30.”
Pathan questioned Kohli for getting out in the same manner over and over again in the series against Australia. All of Kohli’s nine dismissals came caught behind the wicket as his perennial problem of fishing outside the off-stump became toxic.
“When we are talking about Virat Kohli, we are not degrading him…He has done remarkable things for India, performed a lot of times. But you are getting out committing the same mistake again and again…the technical mistake that Sunny (Gavaskar) sir also mentioned. You are not trying to improve that.
“Sunny sir is right here (in Australia). How much time does it take to reach out and ask him ‘sir, what can I do (to correct myself). Improving mistakes requires hard work, which isn’t showing (in Kohli’s case),” the T20 World Cup winner added.
After this loss, India are also out of the WTC final contention.
