Virat Kohli, ex-India captain, might have played his last Test for the country. According to the most recent rumors, Virat Kohli’s uneven performance is making it difficult for the selection committee, directed by Ajit Agarkar, to consider him for the England tour.
The 36-year-old batter’s recent Test performance has been affected by technical issues and his crease setting. Despite a strong overall Test record, his performance has dipped in recent years. The right-handed hitter has an average of 31.32 in his last 38 Tests, with the fifth Test currently underway in Sydney.
Kohli began the present Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 following a disappointing home series against New Zealand, in which he averaged less than 16 in three Tests. He started the BGT with a stunning second-innings century in Perth, but he has since struggled, averaging only 27.83 in four Tests in Australia.
Kohli’s difficulties continued on Day 1 of the fifth Test, as he was caught in the slips by Scott Boland for 17 runs off 69 balls. It was Kohli’s seventh dismissal when probing outside the off stump in the series. Aside from his unbroken century in Perth, Kohli has struggled to produce meaningful scores.
BCCI selectors mulling dropping Virat Kohli before England Tests
Sports journalist Kushan Sarkar claims that Virat Kohli is making it difficult for selectors to choose him for the forthcoming England series. Sarkar also remarked that there is conjecture that Kohli will retire after the fifth Test at The Oval, but in order to do it on his terms, he must score runs.
“Virat Kohli is making it increasingly difficult for the Ajit Agarkar-led national selection committee to pick him for the England series. There’s a theory doing rounds that he will retire at Oval after fifth Test. But to do it his own way, he needed runs and now Oval retirement seems a distant dream,” Kushan Sarkar wrote on X
Virat Kohli is making it increasingly difficult for the Ajit Agarkar-led national selection committee to pick him for the England series. There's a theory doing rounds that he will retire at Oval after fifth Test. But to do it his own way, he needed runs and now Oval retirement…
— Kushan Sarkar (@kushansarkar) January 3, 2025
Virat Kohli’s record in England in Tests
Virat Kohli made his first tour to England in 2014 under the captaincy of MS Dhoni and then captained India on the 2018 and 2021 tours as well. In 17 Tests in England, Kohli has 1096 runs with 2 centuries and 5 fifties at an average of 33.21 with a best score of 149.
Kohli has noticeably struggled in England in Tests. He played 5 Tests in 2014 and scored just 134 runs in 10 innings, getting out to James Anderson on numerous occasions. He did bounce back in 2018 with 593 runs in England, but then in 2021.
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