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Virat Kohli (Source-X)
Ever since his Test debut for India in 2011 against West Indies, former Indian skipper Virat Kohli was seen as the next big hope. Despite all the accolades earned, Kohli has been on a steady downward spiral accelerating at rapid speeds. How can a player who was once dead certain to set new records in Test cricket have such a free fall?
Virat Kohli’s form in 2024 across format has been shocking, to say the least. In the five Test matches played at home against Bangladesh and New Zealand, the right-handed batter has scored 192 runs. In the Test format, the former India skipper has total 250 runs this year with an average of 22.72.
This wasn’t the case between 2011 to 2019 from the year of his debut till the biggest peak Kohli hit between 2014 to 2019. The period since he took over captaincy and his role in making India the world's number-one side cannot be disputed. But things began to take a turn for the worse post his 136 against Bangladesh in Kolkata during the 2019 Test match.
A decade at the top for India’s run machine
India’s first tour in the new decade was to New Zealand where they lost both the games. Post a long break due to COVID-19, India toured Australia where Kohli played just one game and scored 74. Tragedy struck in 2021 and 2022 when India’s best batter began to struggle for form and went without scoring a Test ton.
Having played just 5 Test matches in his debut year in 2011, Kohli scored 202 runs with an average of 22.44. In the time frame of 2012 to 2015, India’s batting sensation thrice breached the 600-run mark in the year. Even in 2014, when Virat’s form was facing a lull in England he had scored 847 runs that year.
The period between 2016 to 2019 saw the then-Indian skipper breach the 1000 mark thrice (2016,2017, and 2018). In the year 2019, Kohli could score just 612 runs from 8 matches with an average of 68.
Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | 50 | 100 |
84 | 141 | 7202 | 54.98 | 22 | 27 |
in the above table, one can clearly see how Virat Kohli dominated the landscape of run-scoring in the longest format. The former India skipper had done very well to establish himself right at the top of the pile. Even his conversion rate with the bat was exemplary. The record of 27 Test centuries to 22 half-centuries is the stuff of legend. Not just in India, but Kohli had scored runs across the world and in every track possible.
Compare those stats with someone like Steve Smith and Kane Williamson, the numbers accumulated by Kohli had performed better. Despite both Smith and Williamson making their Test debut a year prior.
Name | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | 50 | 100 |
Steve Smith | 68 | 122 | 6977 | 65.82 | 27 | 26 |
Kane Williamson | 75 | 132 | 6167 | 51.82 | 30 | 20 |
In the above table, you can see only Steve Smith had given Kohli a run for his money in terms of century-making. India’s former skipper though held the sway as he was considered the all-conditions batter by many of the experts. So much so that Kohli also found a way to conquer England with an impressive tour in 2018.
The decline years for Virat Kohli
As mentioned earlier, the steady decline for India’s best batter began in 2020. In the next few years, Kohli’s form had taken a severe beating. Centuries which seemed to be coming in a hurry seemed to dry up. His problems against spinners also came to the fore. The worrying aspect was that India’s best batting hope wasn’t himself like in the previous decade.
Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | 50 | 100 |
34 | 60 | 1838 | 31.68 | 9 | 2 |
(Virat Kohli's numbers from 2020-2024)
The above is for Kohli’s batting form from 2020 to 2024 which includes the numbers from the final Test in Mumbai. The 35-year-old has scored just 2 centuries in this time frame with both those tons coming in 2023. The 186 in Ahmedabad broke his long wait for a Test ton while scoring another century against the West Indies the same year.
Compare those numbers with those of Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root. The latter in particular has picked up steam and displaced everyone with his penchant for tall run-scoring.
Name | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | 50 | 100 |
Steve Smith | 37 | 65 | 2521 | 45 | 13 | 6 |
Kane Williamson | 24 | 43 | 2502 | 64.15 | 4 | 11 |
Joe Root | 60 | 108 | 5395 | 55 | 19 | 18 |
At a time when Virat Kohli was running away with the century honours, both Kane Williamson and Joe Root were way behind. Now these are worrying numbers not only for Kohli but also his legion of fans. It is a huge crisis for India as they are set to embark on the all-important tour of Australia.
In 2014 and 2018, Kohli was the best batter along with Cheteshwar Pujara. This tour is the last time the former India skipper will play down under. His form leading into the tour has been abysmal just like national skipper Rohit Sharma who has failed to put up the runs on the board.
The question here is simple, has Virat Kohli lost his once invincibility with the bat that made bowlers fear? The simple answer is yes. Now here is the second most important question that needs to be answered. Can the former Indian skipper come back to form and regain the glories of the past? The answer to that question is perhaps, but for that, Kohli needs to get back to basics and do what worked for him. If we get a firing Kohli in Australia, maybe India could be looking to complete a hattrick of series wins down under.