IND vs AUS: Aakash Chopra comments on Virat Kohli’s worrying Test form

Former Indian player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has shared that while Virat Kohli has looked good in the middle in the ongoing Test series against Australia, he is yet to smash a big knock in red-ball cricket.

However, Kohli overcame his poor form in white-ball cricket in the second half of 2022 with some beautiful knocks as well. He was the third-leading run-scorer in T20Is last year, smashing 781 runs in 20 matches which came at an average of 55.78 and a strike rate of 138.23 as well.

The veteran has, however, failed to replicate his stunning form into big scores in Test matches. He registered scores of 1, 19*, 24 and 1 in the two-match Test series in Bangladesh towards the end of 2022 as well. In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he has hit scores of 12, 44 and 20 as well.

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However, analyzing Virat Kohli’s batting form in Test cricket, Chopra said on his YouTube channel:

“Everyone is waiting for a big knock from Virat Kohli. We are hoping it comes. In his last 12-13 Test innings, his highest has been 44. He has looked promising and it has often seemed like he will play a long innings, but that big knock hasn’t come. In the last Test, he looked good in the first innings, but got out early in the second.”

Since the start of 2022, Virat Kohli has scored just 341 runs in eight Test matches which came at an average of 26.23 as well. Meanwhile, his last half-century in Test cricket came against South Africa in Cape Town in January 2022 as well.

Although Team India are 2-0 up in the four-match Test series, Aakash Chopra added that the batting department is a concern for the hosts as they couldn’t step up well. Saying that most of the batters, barring skipper Rohit Sharma, have failed to score a big knock so far, he added that the lower order has been helping India out way too often as well.

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“There are expectations of runs from Cheteshwar Pujara as well. I am not going to criticize Shreyas Iyer because he was dismissed in unlucky fashion in the first innings, but India need runs from the top five. Apart from Rohit Sharma, the others also need to score. Being five down for 140 is not a good thing. Every time Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin should not be bailing us out. They have been doing it, but it is better if so much responsibility does not fall on their shoulders,” Aakash Chopra concluded.

However, Rohit Sharma is the highest run-getter in the Test series with 183 runs, followed by the bowling all-rounder Axar Patel (158), who has scored half-centuries in both matches. On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja has contributed 96 runs in two innings as well.