Sydney [Australia], January 5 (ANI): Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has voiced strong criticism of Virat Kohli’s prolonged struggles with the bat following India’s 1-3 defeat in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Speaking exclusively to Star Sports, Pathan highlighted Kohli’s technical issues, his lack of participation in domestic cricket, and the impact of his poor form on the Indian team.
India, who began the series with a historic win in Perth, failed to sustain their momentum. This marked Australia’s first Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph in a decade, their last win came in 2014-15. Key to India’s struggles were poor batting displays and an over-reliance on Jasprit Bumrah. Kohli, one of India’s senior players, was among the biggest disappointments, managing just 190 runs at an average of 23.75 in eight innings, with Scott Boland dismissing him four times.
Pathan pointed out Kohli’s lack of domestic cricket as a major factor behind his lean patch, drawing comparisons with legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar.
“Many players had the opportunity to play domestic cricket, but they did not. Why is that happening? Because the culture has changed. We have to change the culture. We have to improve things for Indian cricket as a team,” Pathan said on Star Sports.
Highlighting Kohli’s poor first-innings performances, Pathan added, “For the Indian team in 2024, in the first innings, where you basically set up the match, Virat Kohli’s average is 15. And if you consider his average over the last five years, it’s not even 30. Does the Indian team deserve its senior player? Instead, give a youngster a chance. Tell him to get ready. He will also give an average of 25-30. This is about the team, not the individuals.”
Pathan emphasized the importance of learning from past legends.
“When was the last time Virat Kohli played domestic cricket? Even the great Sachin Tendulkar played Ranji Trophy when it wasn’t required of him, only because he wanted to spend that much time–four or five days–on the pitch,” Pathan stated, as quoted by Star Sports.
The former pacer also addressed Kohli’s recurring technical flaws, “You are getting out from the same mistake again and again. You are not creating a gap between two mistakes. You are not trying to fix the technical mistake,” he said, urging Kohli to seek guidance from experienced players like Sunil Gavaskar. “Sunny Sir is in the field. How long does it take to talk to Sunny Sir or someone?”
While Pathan acknowledged Kohli’s immense contributions to Indian cricket over the years, he made it clear that reputation alone cannot justify a place in the team.
“When we talk about Virat Kohli, he has done a lot for India. He has delivered many performances. But this is about the team, not the individuals,” he noted.
Coming to the SCG Test, India won the toss and elected to bat first. India was off to a disappointing start yet again as the top order threw away their wickets, especially Virat Kohli (17) who continued his struggles with outside off-stump deliveries.
However, the fight by Pant (40 in 98 balls, with three fours and a six), Ravindra Jadeja (26 in 95 balls, with three fours) and skipper Jasprit Bumrah (22 in 17 balls, with three fours and a six) pushed India to 185/10 in 72.2 overs.
Boland (4/31) was the pick of the bowlers for the Aussies and once again a thorn in the eyes of Indian batters. Mitchell Starc took 3/49 while Pat Cummins got 2/37.
In their first innings, Australia lost wickets at regular intervals even when Jasprit Bumrah (2/33) walked off the field due to an injury scare. Under the stand-in skipper Virat, India continued to dominate the Aussies, skittling them out for just 181 runs and taking a four-run lead. Debutant Beau Webster (57 in 105 balls, with five fours) had a fine showing with the bat and Steve Smith (33 in 57 balls, with four boundaries and a six) showed some attacking intent.
Prasidh Krishna (3/42) and Mohammed Siraj (3/51) were the top bowlers for India.
With a lead of four runs, India was off to a promising start thanks to Yashasvi Jaiswal (22 in 35 balls, with four boundaries) and KL Rahul (13) as they put on a 45-run stand. But Boland (6/45) troubled the Indian batting once again. Pant did put up a counter-attack with 61 in 33 balls (six fours and four sixes), but India was bundled out for 157 runs, setting up 162 for the Aussies to win. Bumrah could not bowl in the final innings.
Australia was in trouble for a while during chase of 162 runs at 58/3, but knocks from Usman Khawaja (41 in 45 balls, with four boundaries), Travis Head (34* in 38 balls, with four boundaries) and Webster (39* in 34 balls, with six fours) guided the team to a six-wicket win, despite fight put up by Prasidh Krishna (3/65).
Boland was the ‘Player of the Match’ for his ten-wicket haul while Bumrah walked away with the ‘Player of the Series’ award with 32 wickets. (ANI)
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed of ANI; only the image & headline may have been reworked by News Services Division of World News Network Inc Ltd and Palghar News and Pune News and World News
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