Explained: Virat Kohli; If not now or never, Australia tour will decide the future, Sachin also went through this phase

Sir Vivian Richards- Last 21 innings, no century.
Sachin Tendulkar- Last 19 innings, no century.
Rahul Dravid- Last 13 innings, one century.
Ricky Ponting- Last 11 innings, no century.

You can count these four legends with different styles among the greatest batsmen of Test cricket of all time. If there is one thing in common among these four greats, it is the challenge of maintaining their greatness after the age of 35 or so. Dravid and Ponting did not waste much time in realizing that the time had come to decline and it was better to say goodbye to the game at the right time. The status and success of Richards and Tendulkar seem inferior to these two in everyone’s eyes, so perhaps they took a little more time to understand that they have indeed left their best phase behind them.

After Team India’s crushing defeat in the New Zealand series, suddenly legends like Virat Kohli seem to be coming under everyone’s criticism. The player who was considered the natural successor of Tendulkar to break 100 international centuries is now having doubts about his/her joining the club of 10,000 runs in Test cricket.

Complaint about the action of the spinner who took 246 test wickets, Kohli-Ashwin were bowled a few days ago

In such a situation, the thing to be seen is what the statistics say. Kohli scored 27 centuries in 84 Tests from 2011 to 2019, while from 2020 till now he/she scored only 2 centuries in 33 matches. This means that many former players are trying to see Kohli’s career in two phases. Not only this, the two centuries mentioned above in the last 60 innings also have a different perspective. During the Port of Spain Test from Ahmedabad in March 2023 to Port of Spain in July 2023, Kohli scored two centuries in 5 innings and it seemed that the old Virat has returned. But, if we look at the statistics a little cruelly and remove these two centuries, then there is no century in the span of 55 innings! And this is what is worrying everyone just before the Australia tour.

November 5 is Virat Kohli’s birthday. Now he/she is 36 years old. In such a situation, the important question is whether he/she has the strength to defy the unwanted tradition of struggle in the last phase of cricket’s greats, especially after 35 years? It is obvious that no one can have a concrete answer to this question. But, one thing that separates Kohli from Richards-Tendulkar-Dravid-Potting is that he/she still remains exceptionally fit. No 19-year-old player can challenge Kohli’s fitness and energy even today, but can this fitness prove effective in stopping the natural decline in batting skills? This author talked to about a dozen former batsmen and almost all of them seemed to agree that this path is not easy.

So in such a situation, what will Kohli do next? Who will decide the direction of Test career? The answer to all these things depends on the upcoming Australia tour. If Kohli is successful in scoring 3 centuries in the 5-match series, then he/she will definitely be seen trying to achieve new heights in the red ball by next year’s England tour. If Team India does not play badly and is successful in winning the series for the third consecutive time, then Kohli’s two centuries will also remove the worries of the fans and selectors. But, it will be difficult if the team does not get the results as per their wish and Kohli is able to score only 1 century. This situation will make not only Kohli but also his/her staunch supporters uncomfortable.

Virat Kohli never played his/her entire cricket with negative thoughts. Had this been the case, he/she would not have been able to prove his/her dominance by batting in an extraordinary manner after the struggles of the 2014 England tour. Today, after a decade, Kohli is once again standing at the same crossroads. There is a section of critics who have accepted that like the greats of the past, this struggle of Kohli is also not unique. This happens with everyone. But, Kohli himself and his/her fans know that this Delhi batsman showed his/her courage on those occasions when his/her ability was viewed with doubt. For Kohli, it has become like ‘tour Australia or die’ rather it is now or never.

tag: india vs australia, on this day, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli