‘Can’t even have an average of 30’: Irfan Pathan on Virat Kohli’s Test record ahead of Australia series

Former India captain Virat Kohli will be one of India’s most menacing batters for Australia when the Rohit Sharma-led side takes on Pat Cummins and Co. in the Border-Gavaskar series. Australia has long been one of Kohli’s favorite opponents, a relationship that began with his iconic ton in Adelaide during the 2014/15 series Down Under. However, ahead of the impending contest, which commences on February 9 in Nagpur, former India cricketer Irfan Pathan has highlighted one of Kohli’s most embarrassing stats, noting that the numbers will be weighing on his mind when he faces Australia.

Speaking on Star Sports’ show Game Plan, Pathan expressed great concern about Kohli’s numbers against spin since 2020 in Test cricket. Over the last three years, Kohli has managed to accumulate only 335 runs at an average of 25.8 against spinners in the format, with 13 dismissals across 22 innings.

“Especially how he plays against the spin. If you see his numbers from 2020 to now in Test cricket, those are embarrassing numbers, for a guy like Virat Kohli who is an absolute legend of Indian and world cricket, having scored nearly 25,000 runs. “When you see you can’t even have an average of 30 for three years, that’s a long period of time, so I think that’s one thing he will have on his mind,” said Pathan.

Pathan implored Kohli to adopt a more aggressive approach against the Australian spin attack spearheaded by Nathan Lyon. Pathan highlighted the drastic decrease in the renowned Indian batters’ strike-rate in the longest format of the game. To counter this, Pathan suggested that Kohli should take a more proactive stance and be more daring in his approach.

“At the same time, how he is going to be countering the spin of Lyon as well as Agar because he has been struggling against spin especially. I think the one thing he can do personally as well is try to be a little more aggressive because the strike rate against spin has come down as well.

“I know we are talking about Test cricket here but sometimes being slightly more aggressive against spin might actually make you better in that counter when you are facing guys like Nathan Lyon, who is outstanding with his spin, extra bounce and he gets that ball going away from the right-handers as well,” Pathan added.

It has not been the most successful period for Virat Kohli in Test cricket, having amassed only 917 runs in 20 Tests. He is yet to reach the milestone of a century, with his last century coming in November 2019. Despite the lack of runs, Kohli remains one of the most prolific batsmen in the world, and his fans are eagerly awaiting his return to form in the longest format of the game.

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