Virat Kohli’s poor batting form this year continued in Perth on Thursday despite a discernible change in guard, when the bating icon was dismissed for just five runs after India’s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and decided to bat first.
FOLLOW LIVE: Perth Test, Day 1
Kohli was done in by the bounce generated by Josh Hazlewood on a responsive track at the Optus Stadium, as the 36-year-old tried to get on the front foot and the ball got big on him, taking an edge onto Usman Khawaja in the slips.
Going into this Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), Kohli is a mere shadow of himself compared to his peak before the Covid era. Lately, he failed in nine of his last 10 Test innings, scoring just 99 runs in the two Tests against Bangladesh and 93 in the three Tests against New Zealand.
Kohli’s drop in form, especially in Test cricket, has been witnessed post 2020. In his 60 Test innings before the Perth Test, he had scored only two centuries and 11 half-centuries. Talking about 2024, he played six Tests before this BGT, averaging a paltry 22.72.
Earlier in the day, India’s stand-in capain Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and the visitors decided to bat first after awarding Test debuts to fast bowler Harshit Rana and seam-up all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.
India, who put their trust in KL Rahul to partner Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top, didn’t get off off to a good start as Jaiswal was dismissed for a duck by Mitchell Starc.
Hazlewood then ended Devdutt Padikkal’s struggle, dismissing him for a 23-ball duck, before snaring the big wicket of Kohli to leave India struggling at 32 for 3.
