Srinagar: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has hit out at Virat Kohli for his continued dismal form in Test Cricket.
Speaking during a discussion on Star Sports, Irfan Pathan highlighted Kohli’s underwhelming average of close to 28 in Test cricket over the past five years, which has further dipped to 21 since October 2023.
“It’s been five years. You are such a big player, and your average in the last five years has been close to 28. Does Indian cricket deserve this? Absolutely not. They deserve better than this,” said Pathan.
“He has an average of 21 since October 2023. The Indian team doesn’t deserve that. Even a young player will give you an average of 21. You expect more than this from Virat. If your career average is close to 50, these are numbers to be ashamed of,” he added.
“If you look at his dismissals, all the balls were outside the stumps. If you don’t touch them, the balls will go to the wicket-keeper, and the bowler will definitely try something else. Good players increase the gap between two similar mistakes. Virat is making similar mistakes repeatedly. Australia are not even moving from Plan A to Plan B. He is getting out to Plan A itself,” Pathan observed.
The former Indian captain, who scored a century in the first Test in Perth, has since recorded a string of low scores—7, 11, 3, 36 and 5—fuelling criticism of his place in the playing XI.