Check how Kohli can reach a 50 average in the Test format as his average in the long format has dropped to 48.72 following his lean patch. Virat Kohli has a golden opportunity to surpass the mark of 50 average as the West Indies tour 2023 is about to start by July 12.
Virat Kohli’s averages in all three formats
The Indian star player Virat Kohli’s Test average has dropped below 50 after the batter failed to perform consistently in Test format. The last time his average on tests exceeded 50 was in the Mohali Test against Sri Lanka in March 2022.
India is set to begin their World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle from Wednesday, as their first Test against West Indies starts on July 12 in Dominica where Virat Kohli has an opportunity to regain his average in the longest format of the game.
Virat Kohli ended his test drought with 186 runs against Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Ahmedabad in March which is the only notable Test game out of the matches he played in March 2023. It was also his 100th game in the format.
Scores of 23 and 13 in the pink-ball Test in Bengaluru, indicated below 50 for the first time since 2017. But the two-match test series in West Indies presents Kohli with an opportunity to regain his average of 50 in Test format.
Virat Kohli’s list of centuries in all three formats Click >> here.
How Kohli can reach 50 average in Test
Virat Kohli will have to score a minimum of 221 runs in the series to reclaim his average to 50 in the Test format. But this tally will only be sufficient if he remains undismissed on the series and also considers his position in the line-up.
If he was dismissed from the match even once, scoring 271 runs will be insufficient. For instance, with the dismissal of the player on two occasions in the series, he will need 321 runs to keep his average. 371 runs will be required if he is dismissed three times and 421 if he is dismissed in all four innings.
The most runs scored by an Indian in a two-match test series is 432 by Rahul Dravid against Zimbabwe in 2000, following Sachin Tendulkar who scored 403 runs against Australia in 2010.
It was the same place where Kohli started his Test debut in 2011 on West Indies, and he had a rough initiation in the Test Format scoring just 76 runs in five innings having an average of 15.20 and a top score of 30.
He returns to the Caribbean after 12 years after his debut and it has been four years since his last visit. He had a record to mend a ‘50’ to get and a point to prove as the future to have an Inevitable transition as the new WTC cycle.
During the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2022-23, Virat Kohli scored a total of 297 runs in 6 innings having an average of 49.50 being placed second after Usman Khawaja. The all-format player has an average of 57.32 and 52.73 in ODIs and T20Is respectively.
Most double centuries by an Indian in Test cricket
In 2019, Virat Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar and Virendra Sehwag to smash the most double centuries by an Indian in test cricket. Kohli has seven double centuries in the long format of the game, while Sachin and Sehwag have six double centuries each.
