Team India has hit the rock in the ongoing Test series against New Zealand after they lost the Pune Test on Saturday (Oct 27), condemning them to their first Test series defeat on home soil in 12 years.
While questions have been raised on the futures of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after their lack of contribution in recent series, it is tough to argue whether the Indian team is better with or without them. However, with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy set to start in Australia next month, it is a case of whether or not for coach Gautam Gambhir to drop the big boys.
Virat Kohli in numbers
At the time of writing, it has been 348 days since Virat last scored an international hundred for India when he played a superb 117-run knock against New Zealand in the ODI World Cup. Since then he has scored 621 international runs in 26 innings, averaging 24.84 for an innings. After the ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad, he has scored only two fifties for India in all formats while registering four ducks.
Why Virat still deserves his place in the team?
While the numbers don’t make a great reading for Virat in the last 12 months, he still retains the fear factor in him. While he was not at his best for India in the last 12 months, his most valuable and important knock came in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados in June. His 76-run knock was the difference-maker in India winning the World Cup, highlighting his ability to perform on a big day when required.
Australia are Virat’s favourite Test opponent as numbers suggest, in 44 Test innings against the Aussies he has 2042 runs, more than any other Test-playing nation. He has eight hundreds and five fifties, showing why he deserves a place on the team.
Australia also remains Virat’s happy hunting away territory with the bat, having amassed 1352 runs in 25 Test innings. He will potentially have 10 innings during the BGT to add to that impressive tally. With six hundreds Down Under in the red-ball format alone, the 35-year-old should be the first name on the team’s Playing XI.
Interestingly, the former India skipper has scored at least one hundred on each red-ball tour of Australia barring the last one in 2020-21. He only played in the Adelaide Test scoring 78 runs in both innings combined before jetting off for paternity leave.
With ruthless aggression on board and the ability to perform on the biggest stage, Virat will be Team India’s biggest weapon Down Under while the World Test Championship final qualification also remains on the agenda.
