"If your career average is close to 50, these are numbers to be ashamed of" - Irfan Pathan on Virat Kohli's lean run continuing in BGT 2024-25

Former India player Irfan Pathan has noted that Virat Kohli's Test numbers in the last five years, including the ongoing season, are unbecoming of a great player. He opined that even a youngster would perform better if given the same number of opportunities.

Kohli was caught behind off Mitchell Starc's bowling for a 29-ball five in India's second innings of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 fourth Test in Melbourne on Monday, December 30. The visitors were eventually bowled out for 155 and lost the game by 184 runs to go 1-2 down in the five-match series.

Reflecting on Kohli's continued lean run during a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan noted that Indian cricket deserves better from their ace batter.

"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? Does Indian cricket deserve an average of 28 from their best player? Absolutely not, they deserve better than this," he said.

"He has an average of 21 since October 2024. 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," Pathan added.

Virat Kohli has aggregated 2005 runs at an average of 31.32 in 38 Tests since the beginning of 2020. He has fared worse in his last seven Tests, scoring 260 runs at an average of 21.67, despite scoring an unbeaten century in India's second innings of the first Test against Australia in Perth.

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"Good players increase the gap between two same mistakes" - Irfan Pathan on Virat Kohli's mode of dismissals

Virat Kohli has repeatedly been dismissed to catches behind the wickets. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Irfan Pathan noted that Virat Kohli's tendency to play deliveries outside the off-stump has repeatedly cost him his wicket.

"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 wicketkeeper, and the bowler will definitely do something else. Good players increase the gap between two same mistakes," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Australia haven't been required to deviate from their original plans to dismiss Kohli.

"It's not that they don't make two similar mistakes. You need to increase the gap between two mistakes but Virat is making similar mistakes repeatedly. Australia are not going from Plan A to Plan B at all. He is getting out to Plan A itself," Pathan observed.

Kohli has aggregated 167 runs at an average of 27.83 in seven innings in BGT 2024-25. Apart from his unbeaten century in Perth, the modern batting great has reached double digits only twice in six innings.