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Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Now-or-never time for Virat Kohli, will Australian soil come to his rescue again?
When India will take to the pitch at the Optus Stadium in Perth for the first Test of the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, all eyes will be on star India batter Virat Kohli, who is perhaps battling the biggest form crisis of his career.
Virat, a player often hyped and celebrated on Australian soil, generates headlines, catchy articles and massive viewership numbers whenever he lands Down Under. While he has had the weight of runs to match the hype in the past, it is a make-or-break situation for the superstar this time around as he not only battles to regain form and overcome his technical abilities, but to save his spot in Test cricket as the younger stars slam down the door, awaiting their chance in playing eleven after an imminent transition from the current batch of stars to the future.
This year in 19 matches across international formats, Virat has just scored 488 runs at a shockingly low average of 20.33, with just two half-centuries in 25 innings and best score of 76.
It is his downfall in Tests that has been more shocking and saddening as the numbers do not fit someone of his superstardom and skill. His form from 2016-2019 is among the greatest peaks in the longest format, having made 4,208 runs in 43 Tests and 69 innings at an average of 66.79, with 16 centuries and 10 fifties. It was during this period he smashed seven double centuries, the most by a captain in Tests, a record which still stands.
However since 2020, Virat has faced an elongated lean patch in the whites, scoring 1838 runs from 34 Tests at an average of 31.68, comprising just two centuries and nine fifties.
Virat has had an horrific home Test season this year against Bangladesh and New Zealand, in which he scored just 192 runs in 10 innings at an average of 21.33 with just one fifty. In the latest ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings, Kohli slipped out of the top-20 list for the first time in 10 years.
The veteran faces a threat to his spot with critics awaiting his ouster. But for Virat, Australia could once again be the stage of an ultimate redemption act, as it has been over the years.
2012: The star's love affair with Australia started during the 2011-12 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. After a poor West Indies tour in 2011, in which he averaged just 15.20 after scoring merely 76 runs in five innings, it was doubted that if Virat, then an established white-ball star, could replicate his heroics in red-ball cricket.
Virat looked all set to being dropped from Tests after his first two Tests in Australia, registering just 43 runs in four innings, with the best score of 23. His best arrived in next two Tests, scoring classy knocks of 44 and 75 at Perth before finally delivering his maiden Test at Adelaide, a fine 116 in 213 balls filled with his trademark strokes and swagger.
Though he could not prevent a loss, Virat had given a glimpse of his bright Test future. He stood out among big and more seasoned names like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni, becoming the only Indian to touch the 300-run mark in the series at an average of over 37, with his idol Sachin at second with 287 runs in eight innings with two fifties.
That series helped Virat seal his spot in Tests and over next two years, he continued churning out some big knocks. The tours to South Africa, New Zealand and matches at home displayed Virat's ability to bat well on a variety of tracks and conditions.
2014: Everything was fun and bright for Virat till the 2014 England tour. The youngster just could not deal with swing and seam of skilled tricksters like James Anderson and Stuart Broad and the ball would often get edged to the keeper or fielder behind him. The pace duo would target his weak areas, most notably the outside off-stump line, giving the batter as he admitted "one of his darkest tours" ever.
He could manage just 134 runs across 10 innings at an average of 13.40, with best score of 39. All of his wickets were taken by pacers.
For Virat, the next tour to Australia after the England series, was another chance to prove that he belonged to SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) conditions and his earlier knocks in the aforementioned categories were not a fluke.
A challenge bigger than Anderson-Broad awaited him. The Australian pace battery consisting of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle etc had times of their lives toying with world-class South Africa and England batting line-ups for fun and a relatively-inexperienced Virat looked another vulnerable target.
However, what followed started Virat's legacy as an upcoming Test great, not only as a player, but as a captain who would instill a habit of winning overseas in his team. Virat had a bumper BGT as he made a mockery out of much-hyped, intimidating Australian bowling at their home. He made 692 runs in eight innings at an average of 86.50, slamming four centuries and a fifty with best score of 169.
This also included twin centuries at Adelaide, knocks of 115 and 141 during his first Test as a captain with Dhoni sitting out due to injury, almost helping India chase down 364 on the final day. India did fall short by 48 runs, but that aggression and will to win at all costs rubbed on to the rest of the team as Dhoni retired from Test cricket midway through the series. Australia did win 2-0 but were pushed to their limits, with Virat pulling off an all-timer series.
During the period from 2016-19, Virat solidified himself as an all-format legend, scoring over 10,000 runs in this period, hitting heaps of centuries and pulling out the most remarkable run chases everywhere, no matter what format. With 2020 coming, it was expected that with the arrival of a new decade, Virat's form would hit another gear soon.
However, Virat's form took a nosedive that had many ex-cricketers, fans and cricket fraternity questioned what had happened suddenly. His issues against spin and outside off-stump deliveries became more visible. Sometimes it was bad luck, sometimes it was a misjudgement. But the batters's dismissals made it clear that after all, he was a human and prone to a slump. Before his 71st international ton during the Asia Cup clash against Afghanistan on September 8, 2022, his first since 2019, Virat had scored 2,436 runs in 77 innings across 66 matches at a rather sub-standard average of 34.30, with 23 fifties and best score of 89.
In Asia Cup, Virat did get his much-awaited ton, but it was still doubted if he fit in India's best playing eleven for the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. With arrival of much fresher, hard-hitting and attacking talent with every edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), some sections of cricket fraternity looked at his calculated, controlled and anchor-like playing style in T20s with doubt.
Virat started the tournament with a T20I all-time, scoring 82* in 53 balls during a tense run-chase of 160 against Pakistan in front of a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Interestingly, it was Virat's ability to drop the anchor and later accelerate the scoring at the right times that took India home during an instant classic match.
The veteran would go on to have a stunning T20 WC, ending the tournament as leading run-getter with 296 runs in six innings at a Bradmanesque average of 98.66 and a strike rate of 136.40. Four fifties came out of Virat's bat and re-confirmed his status as an all-format batting royalty whose all-weather, all-condition batting style could never go out of fashion. Once again, Virat emerged out of his circumstances victorious.
This paved the way for another massive batting peak for Virat which would conclude with the 2023 50-over World Cup at home. In 45 matches and 47 innings after the MCG masterclass against Pakistan, Virat would make 2,402 runs at an average of 63.21, with nine tons and 13 fifties and the best score of 186. The World Cup at home saw him break many records, as he scored an all-time record 765 runs in 11 innings at an average of over 95, with three centuries and six fifties.
He also became the first batter to hit 50 centuries in the ODIs, conquering this milestone in front of his idol Sachin, on his home ground of Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, during semifinal against rivals New Zealand, who looked invincible against India in ICC events, but this time lost a tough-fought match.
Now, almost an year later, circumstances are dire for Virat. It is now or never for the star batter. Runs scored during this Border-Gavaskar Trophy could either push this Test journey longer or bring it to a sad and perhaps an end little too early.
Virat holds a fine Test record in Australia, scoring 1,352 runs in 13 Tests at an average of 54.08, with six centuries and four fifties in 25 innings. His best score is 169.
Across all formats in Australia, Virat has scored 3,426 runs at an average of 56.16, with 11 centuries and 19 fifties in 70 innings. His best score is 169.
Will Australia's lucky shores once again come to Virat's rescue? Only time will tell.