Virat Kohli’s former teammate blasts India batter over declining form in Tests, says ‘Even a young player will give…’

Virat Kohli's declining form in Test cricket over the past five years has been a major concern for the Indian cricket team. Considering a player of Kohli's stature, the former India captain's Test batting average of close to 28, has a drawn several question marks on his future in the longest format of the game.

Along with India captain Rohit Sharma, Kohli's lean pat with the bat has come under severe scrutiny in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), especially his approach against the deliveries outside off-stump. Despite a ton in Perth against Australia in the first Test, Kohli's scores in rest of his six innings Down Under read 5, 7, 11, 3, 36 and 5 so far.

Former India cricketer and Kohli's one-time national teammate, Irfan Pathan minced no words on the batting stalwart after the national team's defeat in Melbourne, stating even a young batter will perform better if the same number of opportunities were given to him.

"It's been five years. You are such a big player and your average in the last five years has been close to 28. Does Indian cricket deserve this? Does Indian cricket deserve an average of 28 from their best player? Not, they deserve better than this," Pathan told Star Sports.

"He has an average of 21 since October 2024. The Indian team does not deserve that. Even a young player will give you an average of 21. You expect more than this from Virat. If your career average is close to 50, these are numbers to be ashamed of," added the former all-rounder.

Since 2020, Kohli scored 2005 in Test runs 38 games at an average of 31.32 with three centuries.

Virat Kohli's stats in Sydney

Kohli will next be seen at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) where India will play Australia in the fifth and final Test of BGT. The right-hander has played three Tests at the SCG, scoring 248 runs. His only century at the SCG came in 2015 when he scored 147.