"Going to be a shame" - Pat Cummins responds to possibility of BGT 2024-25 being Virat Kohli's last in Australia

Australian captain Pat Cummins seeks another showdown in the longest format against Virat Kohli after the hosts won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the fifth Test in Sydney. The 31-year-old said he has always enjoyed his battles against Kohli, given the ace batter's performances in Tests over the decade.

Kohli, 36, might have played his final Test in Australia but had a forgettable series. Barring his 100* in the second innings of the series-opener in Perth, the former skipper amassed only 90 runs in his remaining nine innings to finish with a tally of 190 in the series.

At the post-match presser, Cummins said Kohli's presence adds plenty of theatre to a contest and can rattle the opposition. However, the pacer stated that not playing against Kohli again would be a shame and was quoted as saying by Perth Now:

"It'll be sad if it's his last series. It's always been a wonderful contest. It's always I think more than just the runs that he brings to the game. It's always a bit of added theatre, which is sometimes good. Sometimes it can rile you up as an opposition, which I'm sure is part of his plans. If we don't get another chance, it's going to be a shame. I've always really enjoyed playing with him. He's been one of the star batters for the last decade or so. You know if you get his wicket, it goes a long way to winning a game."

The Australian bowlers exposed Kohli's weakness outside off-stump as he fell eight times nicking to the keeper or slip cordon. Scott Boland dismissed him four times in the series, while Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc got rid of the veteran batter on two occasions each.

---

Gautam Gambhir hints at Virat Kohli continuing for the next few years

Gautam Gambhir. (Image Credits: Getty)

When asked about the senior players' future, including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma amid their poor form, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir said they are still hungry and will figure out their paths in the next few months.

He was quoted as saying by ICC:

"See, I can't talk about the future of any player, it's up to them as well. But what I can say is that they still have the hunger, they still have the passion, they're tough people. And hopefully, they can continue to take Indian cricket forward. Ultimately, as we all know, whatever they plan, they will plan for the best interest of Indian people."

With the 3-1 series defeat, India are also out of the World Test Championship (WTC) final contention.