'Now he starts with his average of zero' - Matthew Hayden brushes off Virat Kohli's recent struggles

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden backed the legendary Virat Kohli to overcome his dismal form during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, highlighting his truckloads of experience and glorious records on Australian soil.

Kohli has scored just 250 runs from 12 innings at a paltry average of 22.72 this year. His only half-century (70) came against New Zealand in the recently concluded home series. With captain Rohit Sharma all set to miss the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth, starting on November 22, the onus is on the senior-most batter Kohli to let his bat do the talking and make the job of the youngsters easier. Indian fans are hoping that the 36-year-old will rise to the challenge, as he has done more often than not during his illustrious career.

According to Hayden, Kohli's performance in the highly-anticipated five-match Test series is going to be a critical factor as India look to reach the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC) for the third consecutive time.

"Naturally, there's got to be that hunger which Virat always brings to any kind of contest, and there's none bigger throughout the course of Test match cricket history. He's on a side that's dominated Australia in their own backyard now for almost a decade, and that's an important factor in a place where he's worked really hard. A lot of his influence on the game can be seen not just with bat in hand but also the belief in the contest, the belief in his own fitness levels," Hayden said while speaking at a virtual media interaction hosted by Cricket Australia.

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"So there is lots for Virat to play for... Unfortunately, he can't carry his immense performances from any season into this one because it's a different one. It's a new one. Now he starts with his average of zero and an aggregate of zero. We all know that he's capable of averaging beyond 50, and he's the most unsound for his country in the past, second beyond Sachin Tendulkar, but gee, it's up to him... I wish him all the best because in Australia, we want to see Virat Kohli against arguably the best attack that Australian cricket has had in the history of the game," Hayden added.