Virat Kohli's form dips further, with his first innings average worse than Bumrah's in 2024

Virat Kohli's struggles in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy continue as he faces challenges Down Under, a place that has typically been a fruitful venue for him.

The Sydney Cricket Ground saw another disappointing outing for the Indian batter, where he only managed to score 17 runs before falling to an outside-off delivery from Scott Boland. This marks yet another lackluster performance in what has been a tough year for Kohli in Test cricket.

Since missing the England series earlier in the year, Kohli has had a rough run, especially in the first innings of Test matches. Across five such innings against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia towards the end of 2024, Kohli has managed only 35 runs.

In fact, his batting average in first innings stands at a worrying 7.00, placing him among the lowest for players with five or more innings since the start of 2024. Keshav Maharaj sits at the bottom with an average of 5.33, but Kohli’s average is still dangerously low in comparison to others, including specialist batters like Aiden Markram.

Kohli’s inability to cope with deliveries outside the off stump has continued to haunt him, and his frustration was evident after a decent start that eventually led to another failure. This poor run has seen him outscored by his teammate, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who is now averaging more runs than Kohli in the series after contributing with a valuable 22 in a late innings partnership.

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India’s total of 185 saw Rishabh Pant as the top scorer with 40 runs, but despite Kohli's slump, there is optimism within the camp. The pitch in Sydney, with plenty of assistance for the bowlers, promises a potential turnaround, as Bumrah and the other pacers will hope to replicate their success from Perth earlier in the series.