Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
Average of 9.50: Virat Kohli’s miserable series ends with another failure
When things get difficult, the team often turns towards their talisman and captain Virat Kohli to rescue. But in this series, even Kohli has failed to get going against the likes of Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson.
India have been on the backfoot for much of the two-match Test series in New Zealand. The Indian batsmen have failed to click against the marauding Kiwi bowlers in seaming conditions in Wellington and Christchurch. When things get difficult, the team often turns towards their talisman and captain Virat Kohli. But in this series, even Kohli has failed to get going against the likes of Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson.
Kohli has been put under tremendous pressure by the Kiwi seamers and has now recorded his second-worst figures in a Test series (min 2 matches). Kohli has scored only 38 runs in four innings in New Zealand. Kohli has an average of just 9.50 in the series, which is the 2nd lowest for him in a series. Virat’s worst is of 9.20 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy of 2016-17 in India.
READ | ‘Old habit came back to haunt him’ - VVS Laxman identifies why Virat Kohli has struggled
Things are so bad for the Indian skipper in New Zealand that even Mohammad Shami (39) has scored more runs than him. The last time Kohli went 4 or more consecutive innings without any fifty was in 2017.
He was dismissed by Colin de Grandhomme in second innings of the 2nd Test when he misjudged the line of the delivery and was struck plumb in front of the stumps. De Grandhomme has now become the 6th new bowler in this season of 2019-20, who has dismissed Kohli in Tests.
Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris commended the Kiwi bowlers for executing their plans to perfection against Kohli.
‘Must give credit to New Zealand for planning and executing and the plans have worked. Whoever is doing the planning, needs a pat on the back. Stump to stump, channel to start with, away swinger to get him thinking and then the one that comes back into the stumps to get him out,’ Styris said.
Day 3 of the second Test ended with India on 90/6 in their second innings. New Zealand were dismissed for 235 and India have a lead of 97 runs in the second Test.
