Virat Kohli is undoubtedly in the twilight of his career, and while the lack of runs, especially in 2024, may suggest he is well past his prime, there are many who believe the batting icon still has a fair bit of cricket left in him and may rediscover himself during the coming Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia. However, media reports Down Under are already talking about the series to likely be a farewell for the former India captain.
“This summer, the man looks set to be farewelled on these shores,” said a report in the Herald Sun on Tuesday, while announcing Yashasvi Jaiswal as the Indian batsman to watch out for in the five-Test series.
Virat & Rohit’s Home Struggles: Left-Arm Spin & Lost Intent? | Beyond the Boundary Highlights
Kohli’s usually prolific bat hasn’t produced anything of note lately. In fact, his statistics for 2024 reveal that in 25 innings (19 matches) across formats so far, he has scored just 488 runs at an average of 20.33, including two half-centuries.
Talking about his recent form in Test cricket, in 10 innings across five matches at home against Bangladesh and New Zealand, Kohli scored just 192 runs.
That leaves India’s go-to man alarmingly short of runs and confidence heading into the BGT.
The report in the Herald Sun recalled Kohli during the 2012 tour of Australia and how he went on to redefine the rivalry in the coming years.
For how long will Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja play? | BTB Highlights
“Kohli left his first impression of note on Australian audiences in 2012 at the SCG when he stuck up his finger to the crowd, but his most lasting one came two Tests later when he scored India’s lone ton of the series,” it read.
“The boy had arrived and would go on to define the Australia-India rivalry for the next decade. This summer, the man looks set to be farewelled on these shores.”
It added that the left-handed opener Jaiswal is ready to captivate the Australian fans like Kohli has done since his arrival.
“In his (Kohli’s) place, Jaiswal looks ready to fill in, having spent the past 18-months establishing himself as the most exciting Indian batter of his generation…And like Kohli before him, when he is in full flow, nothing feels out of reach for India,” the report further read.
While there are strong hopes attached to Jaiswal’s success on his first tour of Australia, it will be foolhardy to write Kohli off just yet.
India, the current holders of the BGT, won their last two Test series in Australia and haven’t lost hold of the trophy since 2014.
The BGT begins with the Perth Test from November 22.