Virat Kohli's first innings average in 2024 lower than Jasprit Bumrah and Shoaib Bashir
Virat Kohli's failure in the first innings at the SCG saw him rubbing shoulders with some names on a list he wouldn't like to be on.
Virat Kohli hasn’t enjoyed the best Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. What is usually a happy hunting ground for him has proved challenging to conquer this time around as his Test form continued to dip. Kohli hung around once again at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but his long vigil at the crease only resulted in 17 runs, before he fell to the familiar issue by nicking a delivery outside off-stump against Scott Boland.

Recent months haven’t been good for Kohli in Test cricket. After his failure in the first innings at the MCG, he joins a disappointing list of players with the lowest batting averages since the start of 2024.
Since missing the entirety of the series against England at the start of the year, the matches against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia towards the close of 2024 have seen Kohli only score 35 runs in 5 innings when coming out to bat in the first innings of a Test match. Amongst those with 5 or more innings batted, Kohli is better off only than Keshav Maharaj in that aspect of Test cricket this year.
Lowest batting average in first innings since 2024 (min. 5 innings)
Keshav Mahraj: 5.33
Virat Kohli: 7.00
Shoaib Bashir: 8.33
Jasprit Bumrah: 10.00
The only other batter close to Kohli is Kiwi wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell, who averages 12.33, while the closest specialist batter is Aiden Markram who has 14.50 opening the batting.
Kohli’s struggles were exacerbated by the fact that Jasprit Bumrah, who outscored Kohli with a hit-out 22 late in the innings to add some bonus runs, and now has 70 runs in seven innings to elevate his average past Kohli’s under these parameters.
With only 84 runs in seven innings this series, discounting his unbeaten century in Perth, Kohli has cut an image of frustration in recent matches as his struggles outside the off stump continue. The Indian batter edged the first delivery he faced in Sydney, with Steven Smith nearly helping take a spectacular catch. However, Kohli faced a reprieve as the TV umpire judged Smith to have grounded the ball.
India were bundled out for 185, with Rishabh Pant top-scoring in the innings with 40. However, there will be reasons for optimism in the India camp, with the new ball doing plenty and there seeming to be more than enough demons in the pitch. Bumrah and co. will want to use the same template as their win in Perth earlier in this series.
