"Now he starts with his average of zero and an aggregate of zero" - Matthew Hayden on Virat Kohli's poor form heading into BGT 2024-25
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden backed the out-of-form Virat Kohli to enjoy success in the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. However. the Australian legend felt Kohli's past performances in the country will have no bearing on his batting in the upcoming series.
The 36-year-old has been in woeful form in Tests of late, averaging 22.72 in six games this year. Kohli endured arguably his worst series in India's most recent 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand at home, averaging under 16 across six innings.
Yet, the champion batter has often been at his best in Australia, averaging over 54 in Tests Down Under with six centuries.
Speaking in a media interaction hosted by Cricket Australia, Hayden was quoted as saying by India Today:
"There is lots for Virat to play for... Unfortunately, he can't carry his immense performances from any season into this one because it's a different one. It's a new one. Now he starts with his average of zero and an aggregate of zero."
"We all know that he's capable of averaging beyond 50, and he's the most unsound for his country in the past, second beyond Sachin Tendalkar, but gee, it's up to him...I wish him all the best because in Australia, we want to see Virat Kohli against arguably the best attack that Australian cricket has had in the history of the game," he added.
Despite stellar overall Test numbers with over 9,000 runs and 29 centuries, Kohli's last five years in the red-ball format have been surprisingly poor.
He has scored only two Test centuries in 34 matches since 2020, averaging under 30 in four of the last five seasons.
"Lot of his influence on the game can be seen not just with bat in hand" - Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden believes Virat Kohli's value to the team cannot be judged only by his batting but also by the intangibles, like fitness and belief, he adds to the team with his presence.
Kohli was the first-ever Indian captain to lead his side to a Test series win in Australia in the 2018-19 tour.
"Naturally, there's got to be that hunger which Virat always brings to any kind of contest and there's none bigger throughout the course of Test match cricket history. He's on a side that's dominated Australia in their own backyard now for almost a decade and that's an important factor in a place where he's worked really hard. A lot of his influence on the game can be seen not just with bat in hand but also the belief in the contest, the belief in his own fitness levels," Hayden said in the same interaction.
India have beaten Australia in the last four bilateral Test series, including two in Australia, with Kohli as the captain for over half the games.
Meanwhile, the blockbuster five-match Test series starts with the opening Test in Perth on Friday, November 22.