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NEW DELHI: If there is one man who is carrying the biggest burden of scoring runs and whose poor form of late is hurting Team India the most is former captain and batting mainstay Virat Kohli.
Kohli has had a forgettable 2024 so far, with just two international fifties to his name and a poor home Test season in tune-up to the Australia tour.
His trouble against spinners mounted in the 10 Test innings he played against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
While India swept Bangladesh 2-0 in the Test series, Kohli could only aggregate 99 runs at an average of 33.00 with a highest of 47.
In his six innings against New Zealand, Kohli’s bat failed to make an impression once again, except one innings where he scored 70. But he could accumulate just 23 runs in the other five knocks, aggregating a mere 93 runs at an average of 15.50.
With India set to play the first Test in Perth from November 22, Kohli can hope to strike form from the word go.
Kohli has till now played two Tests in Perth – one at the WACA in which he scored 44 and 75 in the two innings in January 2012 which Australia won by an innings and 37 runs.
The second Test that Kohli played in Perth was as captain in 2018 as from the 2018/19 season, Australia moved to a new cricket stadium in Perth, known as Optus Stadium.
The first Test that the stadium hosted was the second Test between India and Australia in December 2018.
Virat Kohli and his men were on a high after winning the first Test by 31 runs in Adelaide.
Ishant Sharma took 4 wickets as Australia scored 326 runs.
Kohli arrived at the crease at the dismissal of KL Rahul with India in a spot of bother at 8/2 in the sixth over.
From there on, the Indian captain displayed a batting masterclass to hit a superb123 and got his hundred with a magnificent straight drive off Mitchell Starc who was just brought back in the attack with the second new ball.
While celebrating his hundred, Kohli pointed to his bat and motioned with his hand that his bat would do the talking.
Kohli thus became the first batsman to score a Test hundred at the new Perth stadium and it was his 25th Test century at the age of 30.
Kohli, who achieved the feat in 127 innings, surpassed India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar (130) to become the second fastest to reach 25 Test hundreds after only the great Sir Don Bradman (68).
This was also Kohli’s 6th century in Australia, equalling the great Sachin Tendulkar, but this hundred still remains his best on Aussie soil.
Kohli was ably supported by Ajinkya Rahane’s 51, but India folded for 283 with Nathan Lyon taking 5/67.
Mohammed Shami took 6/56 in the Aussie second innings to bowl out Australia for 243. But India failed to chase down the 287-run target and lost the match by 146 runs.
This was the only Test that India lost on that tour as they went on to win the four-match Test series 2-1. It was their first Test series triumph on Australian soil.
While many have talked about the Australia tour could be 36-year-old Kohli’s last appearance in Tests, the batting icon will be focused on rediscovering his form in red-ball cricket.
India need to win 4 Tests in Australia to directly qualify for the World Test Championships final that is scheduled to be held at Lord’s in June 2025.
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