At the end of 2019, Virat Kohli had 7202 runs in Test cricket with 27 centuries at a stunning average of 54.97 and looked destined to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record and establish himself as the greatest Test batter of all time. But as the decade ended and the planet was introduced to COVID-19, a new world order set, and the old Virat Kohli was never seen again.

As things stand, Kohli will find it hard to justify his place in the Indian Test team when the squad is picked for the England tour next year and faces a serious threat of finishing his career without reaching the elusive mark of 10,000 runs in the longest format of the game.

In the last five years, Kohli’s average has fallen by eight runs. Currently, he has 9230 runs in 123 matches with 30 centuries at an average of 46.9. Since the start of 2020, Kohli has scored just 2028 runs in 69 innings at a below-par average of 30.72 with just three centuries.

In this period, 21 batters around the world have made more runs than him, and 36 have more centuries, while 14 have as many. Kohli’s fellow Fab Four members have left him far behind, as Joe Root has reached the three-figure mark 19 times in this period, while Kane Williamson (12) and Steve Smith (8) are second and third on the list of most tons since the 2020’s decade started.

While Kohli will still be remembered as a Test cricket legend, and even if he bids adieu to the sport today, he will finish as India’s fourth-highest run-getter in history and the player with the fourth most tons. He is also the country’s most successful Test captain by a margin, but unless there is a dramatic revival, his Test career will leave a feeling of unfulfilled potential.

What Went Wrong For Virat Kohli In Test Cricket?

Essentially, Virat Kohli’s Test career can be divided into three parts. While from his debut in 2011 to the infamous England tour of 2014, he rose up the ranks, the period between the Australia tour in 2014 to the end of 2019 saw him achieve global domination and shatter record books. Since the start of 2020, there has been an evident dip, which has only gotten worse with time.

Virat Kohli’s Test Career In Phases?

While the raw numbers leave no doubt, the strike rate makes for interesting reading. While many will rightly argue that the scoring rate does not matter in Test cricket, Kohli’s strength always was his ability to dominate bowlers and take the game to the opposition. Over the last five years, the ex-Indian captain has evidently adopted a more defensive approach with survival as the primary focus, and it has not paid off.

The role of the pitches cannot be ignored either. Since the start of 2020, India’s top 7 batters have averaged 30.62 in matches involving Kohli, meaning that the Indian batting legend is not doing any worse than other main batters of the team. In the former Indian captain’s peak (1st December 2014-31st December 2019), this number stood at 44.14.

While it is the miserable display in Australia that has left no hiding room for Kohli, the major reason behind his struggles in the longest format has been at home, as he averages just 29.92 since the start of 2020. From his debut till the end of 2019, Kohli had a stunning average of 68.42 in India. Kohli’s away average in the current decade is 31.38, while in SENA countries, it comes down to 28.64. From 2011 to 2019, he averaged 46.12 away from home and 49.51 in South Africa, England, Australia, and New Zealand.

Kohli’s problems against spin stand out among his problems; although there has been a significant fall in his record against pace, the decline is far greater against spin bowlers.

Virat Kohli’s Test Career Against Bowler Type

COVID-19 And Lack Of ODI Cricket

The steep fall in Kohli’s Test career after COVID-19 hit the world is a fact. While whether it was a coincidence or there is a correlation is a worthy debate, there is no doubt that the Indian batting great lost momentum during the pandemic.

Kohli is a rare batter who managed to dominate all three formats, but the core of his success was built on ODI cricket. In 50-over cricket, he is arguably the greatest batter ever, and it is a format in which he remains a flawless player.

Since 2020, there has been a huge fall in the number of ODIs Team India has played, and it has definitely led to Kohli losing tempo in his batting.

Virat Kohli In ODI Cricket

In January 2023, Ravichandran Ashwin had predicted that Kohli would get his flow in Test cricket back with ODIs which proved to be his correct and probably explains his dramatic fall off in the longest format.

Since 2020, 2023 is the only year in which Kohli has averaged 30. The Indian batting superstar had a Test batting average of 55.91 with two centuries in 2023. In ODI cricket, he had a memorable year as he won the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year prize with 1377 runs in 27 matches at an average of 72.47, which included six centuries. He won the Player of the Tournament prize in the 2023 Cricket World Cup with a record run tally of 765 runs in 11 matches.

While Kohli’s decision to take time off the game for the birth of his two children is completely justified, with respect to his Test career, the breaks came at the wrong time. During the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he looked at his best during the Adelaide Test before an unfortunate run-out. On his favourite hunting ground, Kohli missed the last three Tests and lost the chance to capitalise on some good form.

Last year during the tour of South Africa, Kohli looked at his best in testing conditions despite most of the Indian batters struggling. Many felt that the star Indian batter was set for another Test peak, but he missed the five-match Test series against England, which was played on good surfaces, a rarity for India in home Tests in this decade.

While his decision to turn up for Delhi after 13 years in first-class cricket against Railways in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy is justified, one is bound to ask for a batter that is at his best when he has the momentum; he would have been better off returning to domestic cricket and getting back in the feel of spending time on the crease, which the reduction in ODIs denied him the chance of.

Technical Issues

Over the last few years, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has been vocal about technical issues facing Kohli, which have become evident to most cricket watchers. Kohli’s historic success on the trip to England in 2018 came on the back of him batting outside the crease and developing a forward press trigger moment. The 36-year-old has stuck to the technique for a number of years, but whether it has helped his cause is debatable.

The decline in Kohli’s backfoot game cannot be denied, and it has led to a lack of scoring options. While against spin, the star batter has never played sweeps; shots square off the wicket against pace, like the square or uppercut, as well as the backfoot punch, have gone missing from his game. This has left him dependent on the cover drive, straight drive, and flick for runs. As a batter who thrives on the feeling of getting the bat on the ball, the limited options of scoring runs have led to mistakes like chasing deliveries outside the off-stump repeatedly in Australia.

Recent visuals from a special training session with the former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar in Alibaug showed Kohli working extensively on his backfoot game, which shows the realisation on the player’s part about the nagging problem.

It is no secret that with age, a human’s eyesight takes a beating and batters who depend on hand-eye coordination tend to suffer. Virender Sehwag stands out as a prime example of the same. Kohli’s Test numbers through different phases are identical to South African great Hashim Amla. It is worth noting that Amla played 124 Tests in his career while Kohli has played 123 as things stand.

However, the signs of Kohli’s Test game declining were there for a few years and one hopes that the current effort do not prove a case of too little too late.