Ahead of the eagerly awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25 series, former Australian batsman David Warner has issued a serious warning to his countrymen not to undervalue Virat Kohli’s skill. Warner believes that the Indian superstar might return to his dominant form against Australia, despite Kohli’s recent setbacks, which include lackluster showings against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
Kohli’s current performance is worrisome; in the last five years, he has only scored two Test hundreds. In addition, he has only scored one half-century in his last ten innings, giving him a miserable average of 21.33. India lost the series to New Zealand 3-0, and Kohli was only able to score 93 runs in six innings.
Warner voiced his disapproval of the dominant narrative that suggests Kohli’s deterioration in his column for The Herald Sun, writing, “I’m worried about Virat Kohli… but not for the reasons everyone else is.” People want to blame him after India’s crushing 3-0 Test series loss to New Zealand, but I’m actually concerned about Australia.” Warner reiterated that Kohli shouldn’t be written off, stressing that he has a history of doing well in Australian conditions.
“We know Virat usually rises to the occasion in Australia, taking on the challenge like few others do. This is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He continued, “There’s no better platform for him to silence the critics.”
Warner also suggested that this series would be Kohli’s last time playing Test cricket in Australia, implying that the Indian batsman might benefit from his current slump in form. He expressed his worry for the Australian squad by saying, “I hope he doesn’t score heavily for the Australian team’s sake, but I believe he will look to prove a point.”
Warner said, “We should all cherish the fact that this will undoubtedly be the final time we see Virat in Australia wearing whites for a Test match. He has continuously been an important member of India’s team, frequently stepping up when it matters most on Australian soil.
During the 2011–12 series, Kohli made his Test debut and amassed 300 runs at an average of 37.50, including a century and a fifty. With an incredible 692 runs at an average of 86.50, including four hundreds and a half-centuries, he achieved unprecedented heights on the 2014–15 tour. He played just one game in the 2020–21 series before taking paternity leave, and he scored 282 runs at an average of 40.28 in four Test matches during the 2018–19 tour. During the 2018–19 series, he also led India to its first-ever bilateral Test series triumph in Australia.
