Ex-IND opener's blunt opinion on Virat Kohli's Test struggles: Is the maestro's form a concern?

Since 2021, Kohli has struggled against spinners in Test cricket, being dismissed a total of 21 times by them. This unexpected challenge has proven to be his kryptonite on the field, as the spinners have successfully turned the tables on the Indian superstar.

Former opener Aakash Chopra asserted that looking at Kohli's batting numbers since 2020, his form has started becoming a concern for Team India, who recently lost a Test series to New Zealand.

"Is Virat Kohli's Test form a concern? He has scored only two centuries in the last five years. It's a concern if you see his numbers for the last five years and that was before the start of this Test match. He played only six innings in 2020 and had an average of 19. He played 19 innings in 2021 but had an average of 28, with no century," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Chopra pointed out Kohli's struggle to breach the triple-figure mark in the last four years as he scored just two, out of which one came on a flat track in a match which ended in a draw.

"In 2022, he played 11 innings, again an average of 26, with no century. He did score two centuries in 2023 for sure, the average jumped to 55, but let's also remember that one century came in a drawn game on a flat pitch in Ahmedabad. You won't rate that too much. This year as well, he was going at an average of 32 in eight innings and now this Test match has also passed," Chopra observed.

In the last ten innings, Kohli scored one half-century, which came in the Bengaluru Test, and that has also impacted India's results in the ongoing Test series against New Zealand. Chopra feels that India need seniors Rohit and Kohli to score big as other players don't have much experience.

"It's always going to be a concern if Virat Kohli doesn't score runs or scores less runs because he is a mighty player and you make your entire game plan around Virat Kohli. This team requires his form and contribution even more because Rohit (Sharma) is at the top and Kohli is in the middle, the rest around them are all kids," he reasoned.

The young India batters have adopted an attacking batting approach in Tests as Chopra feels that makes the role of someone like Kohli more crucial to provide a bit of stability/

"All kids play big shots, they play in their own way, my way or the highway. In such a scenario, Virat Kohli not only scoring big runs but also batting two to two-and-a-half sessions will be the calming influence. He will drive the game and things can revolve around him. He will want to be the pivot and it will be a problem if he doesn't become that," Chopra elaborated.