One of the main reasons why India got whitewashed in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand was Virat Kohli’s below-par performance with the bat.
The Indian skipper scored only 75 runs during the series at a measly average of 25. Although he scored a fifty in the first match, he was rather dismissed cheaply in the last two matches. His performances in the five-match T20I series prior to the ODIs wasn’t satisfactory as well. He had amassed only 105 runs in four innings at an average of 26.25, a figure well below his career T20I average of 50.80.
So, the forthcoming Test series is Kohli’s last chance on this tour to make up for his failures in the limited-overs series. If we look at Kohli’s career Test numbers against New Zealand, he has 735 runs to his name against them at an excellent average of 66.81. Moreover, 213 of those runs have come in New Zealand at an even better average of 71.33. These numbers suggest that there are high chances of him firing in this series.
However, that’s what the numbers had suggested before the T20I and ODI series as well. Kohli’s average against the Kiwis in ODIs and T20Is at present read 59.91 and 37.75 respectively. Of Course, these figures have taken a hit after his poor outings recently. So these averages were in the high 60s and 40s in the two formats respectively prior to this tour.
But a slump in form has made these numbers look irrelevant for Kohli. Now, he needs to ensure that the same thing doesn’t repeat In the Test series. He needs to focus on the issues he had during the limited-overs outings and should iron those chinks out from his game before the Tests kick off.