NEW DELHI: India's star batter Virat Kohli endured a tough Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, sparking concerns about his red-ball cricket form. Despite scoring a century in the first Test of the five-match series, which India lost 1-3, Kohli failed to make an impact in the remaining games. He finished the series with just 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75, raising questions about his ability to adapt to challenging conditions.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel voiced his disappointment over Kohli's repeated dismissals in a similar pattern outside off-stump, particularly against Scott Boland, who dismissed Kohli four times during the series.
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"It's very disappointing that you got out in a similar fashion eight times in the series," Patel said on Cricbuzz. "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."
Kohli's prolonged struggles against the outside-off line have been a concern for some time, with Patel pointing out his declining red-ball average over the past 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.
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Kohli vs Boland in BGT 2024-25
Innings: 5 Runs: 28 Balls Faced: 68 Dismissals: 4
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.
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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.
