Team India maestro Virat Kohli was slammed online after his recent failure against Australia in the first Test in Nagpur.

 

In the last six months, Virat Kohli has succeeded in changing his fortunes in white-ball cricket, in T20Is and ODIs. While the Delhi-born cricketer ended last year's T20 World Cup in Australia as the tournament's leading run-scorer and recently added three ODI centuries to his kitty, his red-ball form has kept the fans and former cricketers worried.

Since 2020, Virat Kohli has played 21 Tests, and in 37 knocks in those matches, he has only made 929 runs at a mediocre average of 25.80.

His last hundred in the five-day format came against Bangladesh in Kolkata in 2019.

His last eleven Test knocks have been pathetic Speaking about his scores on the past 11 occasions read as 12 against Australia in the Nagpur Test, 1 & 24 versus Bangladesh in the second Test, 19* & 1 against Bangladesh in the first Test, 20 & 11 versus England, 13 & 23 vs. Sri Lanka in the second Test, 45 against Sri Lanka in the first Test and 29 versus South Africa in the second essay of the third Test.

His last half-century in Test cricket came in the Cape Town Test against South Africa in 2022, which was also his final match as the national team’s skipper. Kohli had scored a well-compiled 79 off 201 deliveries at the time.

Continuing with his poor performances in the whites, Virat Kohli lost his wicket for 12 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Friday. Debutant spinner Todd Murphy dismissed him in the contest, again exposing his frailties against spin.

To be fair to Virat Kohli, he looked in good nick during his short stay at the crease, hitting a couple of beautiful drives. But bad luck eventually led to his departure in the 53rd over of the Indian innings.

Interestingly, Virat Kohli lost his wicket on the first ball after Lunch after the Delhi-born cricketer tried to flick the Australian off-spinner but got a thin edge that went straight into the hands of wicketkeeper Alex Carey behind the wickets.

With Virat Kohli getting out for a low score, he became a butt of jokes on Twitter, with several Team India supporters highlighting his poor numbers in Test cricket.

However, former India coach Ravi Shastri, who shares a close bond with Virat Kohli, defended the talismanic batter, saying he was unlucky to get out in that manner.

“That's unlucky. That's strangled down the leg side. I mean once in 50 innings he will get out in that fashion. Let's not talk about technique or an off-spinner getting him out. Forget all that. He is out, bad luck, but it was the right thing from Australia's point of view because they needed a wicket. Straight up after that, you get the momentum going,” Ravi Shastri told Star Sports.

Powered by Rohit Sharma's splendid century (120) and fifties from Ravindra Jadeja (70) and Axar Patel (84), Team India posted 400 runs on the board in reply to Australia's total of 177 in the first innings.

The Kangaroos-led by Pat Cummins, needed another 224 runs for India to bat again. But spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja ensured they got bowled out for just 91.

Ravichandran Ashwin was lethal on a Day 3 pitch that aided sharp turn and offered indifferent bounce. He was the one who started the collapse of the Australian batting line-up, dismissing their opener Usman Khawaja in his first over.

Afterward, Ravichandran Ashwin picked up the wickets of David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb, and Alex Carrey to leave Australia tottering at 6/64.

By sending the above-mentioned Australian batters back to the pavilion, Ravichandran Ashwin picked up his 31st fifer in Tests, taking him past Shane Warne and Harbhajan Singh in that list.

Among active cricketers, Ravichandran Ashwin has the second-most five-wicket hauls after England's James Anderson, who sits on top of the charts with 32.

Australian captain Pat Cummins credited Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja's spectacular show with the ball for India's triumph on Saturday.

“It was tough out there and the bowlers were fresh. Here in India, you have got to be able to bat big to post a score and give bowlers some rest. It’s disappointing and we weren’t quite up to it,” Pat Cummins said after his side's defeat in Nagpur.

“There are a couple of things. I thought Jadeja bowled really well. We are talking about two of their all-time great spinners in their own conditions. So, it’s always tough for Aussie spinners, growing up on different wickets, to replicate them,” he stated.

“Don’t think there was any surprise out there and we knew what we were going to expect. At times, you have got to be a little bit brave and proactive to put the pressure back on the bowlers. It’s easier said than done as they are world class performers,” the Australian skipper added.