Virat Kohli is still India’s Test captain – at least for the upcoming South Africa series – even though he was sacked as captain of the One Day International (ODI) team and volunteered a role in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). was abandoned. The 33-year-old, however, has not been India’s best Test batsman for the past few years. In 13 Tests since the start of 2020, Virat Kohli has scored 599 runs in 23 innings at a poor average of 26.04 with the highest score of 74.
Compare the performances of England’s Joe Root, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, Australia’s Steve Smith and Pakistan’s Babar Azam during the same period and Virat Kohli’s form goes from bad to scary. (see Table below), His average is below 30, while the rest above 40, with Williamson and Root leading the pack.
| batsman | Team | Test (Innings) | Run | Average |
| Virat Kohli | India | 13 (23) | 599 | 26.04 |
| Joe Root | England | 22 (39) | 2013 | 57.51 |
| Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 8 (13) | 893 | 74.42 |
| Steve Smith | Australia | 7 (11) | 481 | 48.1 |
| Babar Azmi | Pakistan | 12 (19) | 754 | 44.35 |
The current Magnificent Five of international cricket are batting mainstays for their teams and all (Steve Smith) captain their respective sides in Tests.
India’s batting crisis
While Virat Kohli may be lower on the pecking order as compared to his teammates from other teams, that is likely to help him save his captaincy and equally poor performances by teammates Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara in the playing 11 Is. Former Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has scored 683 runs in 16 Tests (29 innings) in the last two years at an average of 24.39, while India’s No. 3 Cheteshwar Pujara has averaged 849 runs in 17 matches (32 innings). 27.39
Is the South Africa tour the last chance for Virat Kohli as India’s Test captain?
All three make up India’s batting core in Tests and with all three out of touch, the team’s fortunes depend on either the openers or the lower-order batsmen. The team’s bowling unit has been excellent and India’s Test success over the years – at home and abroad – can mainly be credited to the fast bowlers and spinners.
Rohit Factor
Rohit Sharma, who will miss the Test due to a hamstring injury, has already taken over the ODI and T20I captaincy from Virat Kohli, and is the most successful batsman in the longest format for India in the last two years. The opener has scored 906 runs in 11 matches (21 innings) at an average of 47.68 – the most runs and the highest average among all Indian batsmen since 2020. Rohit Sharma is also the only player in the team to score two Test centuries during this period. Duration.
With Rohit Sharma knocking on the captaincy’s door, the three-match series starting December 26 (Boxing Day) in Centurion in South Africa is expected to be a litmus test for Virat Kohli. He will not only have to maintain his authority as a leader by winning India’s first series in South Africa, but also score big runs to avoid the infamy of being dropped from the Test side in future.
unforgiving BCCI
However, what may still complicate matters for Virat Kohli is the explosive press conference he addressed before leaving India. Many captains did not face the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and survived. Virat Kohli took the board and its chief, former India captain Sourav Ganguly, face-to-face. Side effects are inevitable.
Virat Kohli is lost for complaining!
Despite the South Africa series result, Virat Kohli could lose the Test captaincy. One only hopes he finds form and retains his place in the Test team – on the basis of run-scoring merit and not past fame. Which Virat Kohli cricket fans around the world like to watch.
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