Virat Kohli has come under severe criticism for his flop show in the ongoing Test series against New Zealand, which India have already conceded after losing the first two matches in Bengaluru and Pune.
While the star batter registered scores of 0 and 70 in the series opener, he returned with 1 and 17 across the two innings of second Test.
Barring a handful of knocks, Kohli has struggled in this home season and his game against spin has been found wanting. The right-hander amassed only 99 runs at an average of 24.75 in the preceding two-Test series against Bangladesh.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, former India opener Aakash Chopra acknowledged that Virat Kohli not scoring runs is certainly a big worry for India.
Chopra further stated that hitting only two hundreds in the last five years is not something the 35-year-old would expect from himself.
"Is Virat Kohli's Test form a concern? It's a concern! If you see his numbers for the last five years (before this Test), he played only six innings in 2020 and had an average of 19. He played 19 innings in 2021 but had an average of 28, with no century. In 2022, he played 11 innings, again an average of 26, with no century. He did score two centuries in 2023 for sure, the average jumped to 55, but let's also remember that one century came in a drawn game on a flat pitch in Ahmedabad which you won't rate that much," Chopra said.
With veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane not in the mix anymore, Chopra said Kohli needs to score big runs and bring the calming influence in the batting order.
"This year as well, he was going at an average of 32 in eight innings and now this Test match has also passed. See, if Virat doesn't score or scores less, it will always be a concern. Oppositions build their strategies around him. Barring Virat and Rohit, this Indian team has youngsters, who have a 'my way or highway' approach. So, Virat scoring big runs will have a calming influence. In five years, if Virat scores only two centuries, average drops to mid 30s, so it is a concern and there is no doubt about it. But fingers crossed! We are talking about Virat Kohli. He knows how to turn it around," he added.
The third Test against New Zealand, slated to be held in Mumbai from November 1, has become a must-win for India to stay in the WTC final race. The Rohit Sharma-led side will next travel to Australia for the five-match Test series.
Losing the New Zealand series 3-0 will make life rather difficult for India as they need at least four wins in the remaining six Tests and will need to depend on other teams to qualify for the WTC final.
