Ajit Agarkar ordered to make final decision on Virat Kohli's future, presented with his awful Test stats

Published - 06 Jan 2025, 03:11 PM | Updated - 06 Jan 2025, 11:35 PM

Virat Kohli Ajit Agarkar
PC: AFP/Getty

Former India opener Aakash Chopra analyzed Virat Kohli's dwindling numbers in the last five years. Looking at the numbers, Chopra called the chief selector Ajit Agarkar and the head coach Gautam Gambhir to form a clear blueprint for Kohli's future in Test cricket.

Virat Kohli hasn't been in great form with the bat in the last few years in the longest format of the game. His poor form continued in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as he scored just 190 runs in five Tests at an average of 23.75.

There were calls about his retirement after the disappointing returns, however, the veteran hasn't given any hint about it so far. With India set to play its next Test match in June 2025, the pressure is increasing on Kohli to take a final call on his career.

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Aakash Chopra calls for "a clear blueprint" of Virat Kohli's future in Tests

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra analyzed Virat Kohli's numbers in the last five years and before this period. There was a sharp contrast in both phases. While Kohli was a beast in the red-ball format once, his numbers started going down in the last few years.

"This (Kohli's numbers in last five years) is a big sample size. The selectors must decide now. There is no Test cricket till the England series, so Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir need to devise a clear blueprint for the future," Chopra said.

The form of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is a huge concern for Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir. It remains to be seen how the team management handles this tough situation.

Virat Kohli's numbers in the last five years

In the last five years, Virat Kohli has scored runs at an average of just 30.72 in 39 Tests. He has scored just three hundreds in this period with one of them coming in the recent Test series against Australia.

The numbers are a sharp contrast to his overall career stats where he has scored over 9000 runs at an average of more than 46 with 30 hundreds. At one time, Kohli had an average of over 50 in Test cricket but the numbers have sharply declined in the post-Covid era.

Virat Kohli is still a beast in the white-ball format

While his numbers have declined in Test cricket, Virat Kohli is still a beast in white-ball cricket. The 36-year-old recently top-scored in the IPL 2024 season with 741 runs in 15 matches at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.69.

He also played a key role in India's T20 World Cup 2024 win with a Player of the Match-winning performance in the final against South Africa. After the tournament, he retired from the T20I format. He was also the highest run-getter in the ODI World Cup 2023 and played a vital role in India's road to the final.

Virat Kohli will have a big role to play in the upcoming Champions Trophy where he will be one of the biggest players of the tournament. The 36-year-old has been a highly consistent player in ODIs, which is also his favorite format.

Tagged:

India National Cricket Team Australia National Cricket Team IND vs AUS India vs Australia AUS vs IND Australia vs India Border-Gavaskar Trophy ICC World Test Championship India tour of Australia Aakash Chopra Virat Kohli
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