From September 2015 to December 2017 Team India played most of the Test cricket at home and only two Test series away from home (In West Indies in 2016 and in Sri Lanka in 2017). Almost all Indian batsmen scored a lot of runs and hundreds in those two and half years but 2018 was always going to be a tough challenge for them as India were set to play Test series in South Africa, England and Australia.
There were a lot of expectations from Indian top order batting line-up but except for Virat Kohli, no other Indian batsman could put up a fight against world class bowlers on seaming and bouncy tracks and India had to suffer a series loss in South Africa and now they are trailing by 2-1 in the five-Test match series in England.
Virat Kohli has been a standout batsman in both the series and all three hundreds for India came from his bat. Kohli alone scored more fifty-plus scores than the rest batting line up's combined fifty-plus scores. Here is why Virat Kohli has been playing like a lone warrior this year.
Virat Kohli vs Other Indian Test batsmen away from home in 2018 :
1. Overall performance -
| Player | Mat | Inns | Runs | Avg | HS | 100 | 50 |
| Virat Kohli | 6 | 12 | 726 | 60.50 | 153 | 3 | 3 |
| Hardik Pandya | 6 | 12 | 279 | 25.36 | 93 | 0 | 2 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 4 | 8 | 215 | 26.87 | 81 | 0 | 1 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 5 | 10 | 204 | 20.40 | 72 | 0 | 2 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 3 | 6 | 150 | 25.00 | 44 | 0 | 0 |
| Murali Vijay | 5 | 10 | 128 | 12.80 | 46 | 0 | 0 |
| KL Rahul | 5 | 10 | 124 | 12.40 | 36 | 0 | 0 |
| R Ashwin | 5 | 10 | 190 | 23.75 | 38 | 0 | 0 |
- Virat Kohli has scored total 726 runs so far - 447 more runs than the second leading run scorer Hardik Pandya (279).
- Virat Kohli scored 3 hundreds in 6 Tests - the only Indian batsman to score a hundred this year away from home.
- Virat Kohli averages 60.50 - the only Indian batsman who averages more than 30 away from home this year (Min 150 runs).
2. In South Africa -
| Player | Mat | Inns | Runs | Avg | HS | 100 | 50 |
| Virat Kohli | 3 | 6 | 286 | 47.66 | 153 | 1 | 1 |
| Hardik Pandya | 3 | 6 | 119 | 19.83 | 93 | 0 | 1 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 1 | 2 | 57 | 28.50 | 48 | 0 | 0 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 3 | 6 | 100 | 16.66 | 50 | 0 | 1 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 1 | 2 | 32 | 16.00 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Murali Vijay | 3 | 6 | 102 | 17.00 | 46 | 0 | 0 |
| KL Rahul | 2 | 4 | 30 | 7.50 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| R Ashwin | 2 | 4 | 90 | 22.50 | 38 | 0 | 0 |
- Virat Kohli scored 167 more runs than second-leading run scorer for India in the 3 Test match series in South Africa.
- Virat Kohli scored as many fifty plus scores (2) as other Indian batsmen combinedly scored.
3. In England -
| Player | Mat | Inns | Runs | Avg | HS | 100 | 50 |
| Virat Kohli | 3 | 6 | 440 | 73.33 | 149 | 2 | 2 |
| Hardik Pandya | 3 | 6 | 160 | 32.00 | 52* | 0 | 1 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 3 | 6 | 158 | 26.33 | 81 | 0 | 1 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 2 | 4 | 104 | 26.00 | 72 | 0 | 1 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 2 | 4 | 118 | 29.50 | 44 | 0 | 0 |
| Murali Vijay | 2 | 4 | 26 | 6.50 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| KL Rahul | 3 | 6 | 94 | 15.66 | 36 | 0 | 0 |
| R Ashwin | 3 | 6 | 100 | 25.00 | 33* | 0 | 0 |
- Virat Kohli has scored 280 more runs than India's second-leading run scorer Hardik Pandya (160) in this series so far.
- Fifty plus scores: Virat Kohli - 4 and Rest Indian batsmen - 2
- Virat Kohli the only Indian batsman who averages more than 35 in this series.
(Stats updated till 25 August 2018)
