Kohli has come under the scanner for his subpar performance in the recently held BGT.
Kohli began the marquee series with a second innings hundred (100*) at Perth, but he managed to amass only 90 runs in his other eight innings combined.
The age-old problem of fishing outside the off stump led to Kohli’s downfall throughout the tour, with Australian quicks Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc exploiting his weakness.
While Kohli finished the tour of Australia with an average of 23.75, he scored only 440 runs in 21 Test innings at an average of 23.15 last year. As a result, his career average has slumped to 46.85 after 123 Tests.
At 36, Virat Kohli's place in the team is under immense scrutiny and former England cricketer David Lloyd believes time has come for the BCCI selectors to take a tough call.
India’s next Test assignment is the tour of England later this year, and Lloyd doesn’t see Kohli will be able to change his fortunes there as he reckons that the Indian star’s best is behind us.
"Virat Kohli knows he is past his best and that will hurt. When India come to England, you know where he's going to be. Just outside off stump, and the business area will be the slips. At 36 years of age, up in the mind, he knows what he should be doing. Your reflexes gently go. Ponting said he carried on a bit longer than he usually would have. The selectors should know. He is one of the greatest players we have seen but is past his best. The coach Gautam Gambhir will have an enormous say, a big say, because he has been in that dressing room. He has lost time. His time is over," Lloyd told talkSport Cricket.
"The one thing when you talk about great cricketers, that the rest haven't, is time. He has lost time. It's gone. His time's gone. It comes with age. Everyone tells you what you need to be doing. Stuff like 'leave the ball' watch it till the end. But it's gone. These are great international bowlers. If it's a repetitive way of getting out – in Test match you know there's going to be a bank of slips'. If you keep nicking off, it's a tell-tell sign for anybody that reflexes and reaction time is gone."
Veteran spinner R Ashwin called time on his international career during the tour of Australia, while skipper Rohit Sharma’s Test future also remains uncertain. The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have already fallen out of favour with the national selectors.
With the Indian team entering transition, Lloyd suggested the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee to invest more in the future and unearth talents that could take Indian cricket forward.
"When a team is in transition, they've got to find new players. That's what the selectors, the coaches, the captain – that's what you've got to do. They've got plenty of cricketers to choose from India and it's a great opportunity for the younger cricketers to make a mark. If I was involved, I would be stimulated by it. I might just find a new Dravid, a new Tendulkar or a new Ganguly because that's how they also came into the team," Lloyd remarked.