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More than 10 days before the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia, star India batsman Virat Kohli is the first player from the visiting team to land in Perth.
According to a report in ‘The West Australian’, Kohli reached Perth on Sunday evening while some of the Indian squad members are in transit and the rest departed along with coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday.
India and Australia will lock horns in a five-Test series. India are the current title-holders of the prestigious BGT and won on their last two tours Down Under. The Aussies, meanwhile, are looking to reclaim the trophy that they haven’t won since 2014.
“The West Australian understands they will begin training at the WACA Ground from Tuesday ahead of the first Test, but the venue is on lockdown in a bid to keep the Indian camp strictly behind closed doors,” read the report.
The 36-year-old Kohli is currently facing the heat with a prolonged run of poor form.
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.
The New Zealand series was the one to forget for the Indian players and the team, suffering a 0-3 whitewash in a three-Test series at home for the first time.
In his six innings against the Kiwis, 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.
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 during the BGT beginning November 22 in Perth.
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