What is Virat Kohli's record in Test cricket at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru?
Senior batter Virat Kohli will be keen to get back among the runs when Team India take on New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in the first Test of the three-match series starting Wednesday, October 16. The 35-year-old had a poor series against Bangladesh, registering scores of six and 17 in Chennai and 47 and 29* in Kanpur.
Before the Test series against Bangladesh, the former India captain struggled in the three-match one-day series in Sri Lanka as well. He registered scores of 24, 14 and 20 and was trapped leg before by spinners in all three matches. Kohli was out of sorts in the 2024 T20 World Cup as well, but lifted his game in the final, top-scoring with 76 off 59 balls against South Africa in Barbados.
The seasoned batter has plenty of experience of playing at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru - the home ground of his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Kohli has featured in four Test matches at the venue and has scored 217 runs at an average of 43.40.
The right-handed batter's first Test in Bengaluru was against New Zealand in August-September 2012. It was memorable game for the Delhi-born cricketer as he was named Player of the Match. Kohli scored 103 in the first innings and 51 in the second as India won the contest by five wickets.
The former India captain's second Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was against South Africa in November 2015. He did not get to bat in the Test match that was heavily affected by rain.
Kohli has failed to make much of an impact in the last two Test matches he has played at the venue. He registered scores of 12 and 15 against Australia in March 2017 and 23 and 13 against Sri Lanka in March 2022, a game that Team India won by a margin of 238 runs.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir backed Virat Kohli ahead of Test series against New Zealand
While there have been some question marks over Kohli's form heading into the Test series against New Zealand, head coach Gautam Gambhir has thrown his weight behind the experienced cricketer.
The former India opener opined that Kohli will be hungry to score runs. Speaking at a press conference, he commented:
“Virat has always been very clear that he is a world-class cricketer. He has performed for such a long period of time and he is as hungry as when he made his debut. I remember opening the batting with him when he made his debut in Sri Lanka. To now, his hunger is always there and is already there."
Kohli has the experience of 115 Test matches in which he has scored 8,947 runs at an average of 48.89, with 29 hundreds and 30 fifties.