Virat Kohli, India's star batsman, had a rough Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 22024-25) Down Under, raising questions about his red-ball cricket form. Despite making a century in the first Test of the five-match series, which India lost 1-3, Kohli was unable to have an impact in the subsequent games.
He concluded the series with only 190 runs in nine innings, an average of 23.75, raising concerns about his ability to adapt to difficult circumstances.
Parthiv Patel, a former India wicketkeeper-batsman, expressed his unhappiness with Kohli's repeated dismissals in a similar pattern outside off-stump, particularly against Scott Boland, who removed Kohli four times throughout the series.
"It's very disappointing that you got out in a similar fashion eight times in the series. Scott Boland dismissed him four times. It's surprising, considering the kind of player Virat Kohli is. Great players always find a way; they never let such a pattern go on for so long. But unfortunately, Kohli allowed it to continue,” Parthiv Patel said on Cricbuzz.
Kohli's lengthy problems against the outside-off line have been a source of concern for some time, with Patel citing his dropping red-ball average over the last five years.
"He has been scoring at a 25-30 average for five years now. It's a long duration, and he has been dismissed outside off-stump many times. It's very surprising and very disappointing," he added.
Australian pacer Scott Boland revealed that their strategy against Kohli was to exploit his tendency to chase deliveries outside off after a disciplined start.
"Kohli sort of feels like he leaves a lot, and then he wants to play the ball once he gets in. So, once he gets in, we just switch our lines a little bit to the fifth stump, and it's working at the moment," Boland said.
Patel critiqued Kohli's inability to counter this predictable approach, noting that the mistakes seemed to stem from Kohli himself.
"It's not even a plan. Australia isn't making plans; instead, Kohli is making mistakes. Bowlers know it's a test of their patience, and the question is for how long they can bowl at that line. The mistakes are coming from Kohli," Patel said.
Patel also highlighted how Kohli's famed mental discipline seemed to falter during the series.
"Everyone knows the secret. Even he knows, but the mental discipline for which he is known didn't hold up this time. That's why it's so disappointing," Patel concluded.
Virat Kohli is expected to be part of the Indian squad for England ODIs and ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
