'Things aren't looking good' - Aakash Chopra weighs in on Virat Kohli's Test future
The stalwart could only manage 190 runs in nine innings of the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was a forgettable affair for Virat Kohli. Apart from the century in the second innings of the series opener in Perth, Kohli appeared out of sync with the bat throughout the series. A persistent issue with his batting was the similarity in his mode of dismissals as he could not curb the urge to chase deliveries outside the off-stump, nicking behind eight times in the series.
Forner cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra agreed with Irfan Pathan's recent comments on Kohli in relation to his batting average over the past five years in Test cricket.
"Unfortunately, the numbers of the last five years are saying that whoever is talking is not about propaganda or agenda. You can see home or away, the numbers are saying that things aren't looking good. Irfan (Pathan) said that if Virat Kohli hasn't scored runs for five years, play a kid as he too would score runs at an average of 25," shared Chopra in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
The ball is in the selectors' court: Chopra
The former Indian cricketer said that the selectors should take a call on an immediate basis instead of waiting for the five-match series against England.
"What you want to do is your choice but the selection is the selectors' job. Since you are going to the next WTC (World Test Championship) cycle, you haven't qualified for the final, and neither he nor Rohit has scored runs, the team is going through a transition and things are looking quite shaky. The ball is in the selectors' court. They have to decide now because if you think about what will happen till England, there won't be any Test cricket in between," added Chopra.
Since the beginning of 2020, Kohli has managed just 2028 runs at an average of 30.72 in 69 innings. This is in sharp contrast to his peak Test carreer average of 55.10, which he attained against South Africa in the same match in which he registered his top-score (254*).
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