Virat KohliHis poor run continued in Melbourne as he couldn't get past the fifty-run mark in both innings. The 36-year-old has not been in great form with the bat throughout the Border-Gavaskar Trophy so far.
Kohli was heavily criticized for his poor returns and there were talks of his retirement as well. Recently, the ex India polyvalent Irfan Pathan also joined the list and criticized Kohli for letting Indian cricket down.
Pathan spoke about Kohli's poor form since the start of India's home season in September this year and claimed that much more is expected from a batsman of his potential.
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Irfan Pathan hits out at Virat Kohli's poor form
During a chat on Star Sports, Irfan Pathan reminded everyone of Virat Kohli's figures from the last five years in Test cricket. According to him, Indian cricket deserves much better than Kohli's numbers in the last five years in Tests.
“Five years have passed. You are such a great player and your average in the last five years has been close to 28. Does Indian cricket deserve this? Does Indian cricket deserve an average of 28 from their best player? Absolutely not, it is better than that,” remarked Pathan.
Pathan even claimed that even a young player will play better than Kohli right now. Further chipping away at the talismanic batsman, Pathan added that Kohli should be ashamed of his poor numbers recently.
“He is averaging 21 from October 2024. The Indian team does not deserve that. Even a young player will give you an average of 21. You expect more than that from Virat. If your career average is close to 50, these these are numbers to be ashamed of,” he added.
Irfan Pathan on Virat Kohli's dismissal style
Irfan Pathan further noted a similar pattern of dismissals for Virat Kohli, who is off-stump. He questioned the Indian star batsman's ability to play in useful conditions, claiming that he comes out in the same way every time.
“If you look at his dismissals, all the balls were outside the stumps. If you don't hit them, the balls will go to the wicketkeeper and the bowler will definitely do something else. Good bowlers widen the gap between two same mistakes,” Pathan said. .
Virat Kohli was constantly tested on the fourth and fifth stumps by the bowlers. His vulnerability is well known to bowlers around the world and he found it difficult to counter such dismissals.
Virat Kohli's Recent Figures
In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Virat Kohli has scored 167 runs in four Tests at an average of 27.83. Apart from his hundred in Perth and 36 in Melbourne, he looked totally out of form.
In home Tests before this seriesKohli scored 192 runs in 10 innings against Bangladesh and New Zealand. He found it difficult against both pace and spin bowling, which raised concerns about the remainder of his career.