Analyzing Virat Kohli's performances in fine detail....

[Hitman]

That time aus and their pitch were beast not like today's pathetic aus and pathetic pitches

And that justifies Inzamam's record of 1 century in 120 international innings against Aus and SA combined in both forms of the game, isn't it?

 

[Hasan123]

Loool the pitches might have been flat but name another player in todays gamewho is going to score 4 centuries in 4 games vs Australia.

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

Shaz did India win the series ??

Surely scoring so many tons in such a series must have been a match winning contribution ?

It was 2-0 may be for aus.

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

And that justifies Inzamam's record of 1 century in 120 international innings against Aus and SA combined in both forms of the game, isn't it?

yes.

 

[Sachin136]

Loool the pitches might have been flat but name another player in todays gamewho is going to score 4 centuries in 4 games vs Australia.

Azhar Ali

 

[Hitman]

yes.

HaHa .... yea, sure. A grand total of 1 century in 120 international innings against Aus and SA combined in both forms of the game

 

[The_Odd_One]

And that justifies Inzamam's record of 1 century in 120 international innings against Aus and SA combined in both forms of the game, isn't it?

Inzamam faced the likes of McGrath, Donald, Pollock, and Warne on much tougher pitches. Inzimam failed against SA and Australia which is true but you can't compare stats from that era to this era's.

 

[Mamoon]

Inzamam faced the likes of McGrath, Donald, Pollock, and Warne on much tougher pitches. Inzimam failed against SA and Australia which is true but you can't compare stats from that era to this era's.

It is not wrong to admit that Kohli is already a better batsman than Inzamam.

As an all-round batsman, he is better than any Pakistani batsman ever. Will end up as an ATG in Tests as well, which means he will finish above Miandad and Younis in the Test format and is already a better overall batsman than Inzamam, Zaheer Abbas and MoYo.

 

[Hasan123]

Azhar Ali

No he won't unfortunately

 

[The_Odd_One]

It is not wrong to admit that Kohli is already a better batsman than Inzamam.

As an all-round batsman, he is better than any Pakistani batsman ever. Will end up as an ATG in Tests as well, which means he will finish above Miandad and Younis in the Test format and is already a better overall batsman than Inzamam, Zaheer Abbas and MoYo.

In ODIs and T20s, he is already better than any batsman Pakistan has ever produced. However, in tests, it is not true. Younis is comfortably a better test batsman but Kohli can surpass him easily if he improves his test record.

However, there is a huge difference in teams and conditions in which Inzimam faced Australia and SA. He was not better than Kohli but had he batted against current Australian and SA teams in the UAE, Australia, and SA; I am sure he would have scored more centuries.

 

[shaz619]

Virat Kohli is a fine batsman, but he's also one who is overly hyped based on his 5 Test Match hundreds in Australia and accumilated this reputation amongst his followers of being a batsman who is a terrific away from home in challenging conditions. We've seen Kohli struggle on pitches with a bit of lateral movement and ever since that series in England he has rarely been tested. There is no better batsman in beautiful batting conditions which is why he is often called the Motorway King Kohli.

We will discuss the nature of the wicket where Kohli scored each of his hundreds in Australia, lets proceed.

116 vs Australia at the Adelaide Oval in 2012

It was a blazing hot day in Adelaide and conditions for batting were spectacular, this was confirmed on commentary by Tom Moody and Tony Greig; for anyone who watched the Test can also confirm this.

Michael Clarke won the toss and Australia chose to bat. "We'll have a bat, thank you," says Clarke. "It's 36-37 [degrees], it's going to be a fantastic batting track."

At the end of the first day India found themselves on 61/2 after Clarke had declared. The pitch had been brilliant to bat on all day and the following morning the wicket still looked fantastic from a batting perspective and the Motorway King Kohli would cash in to register his maiden Test hundred.

115 and 141 vs Australia at the Adelaide Oval in 2014

It was another beautiful day and wicket was a belter of a track, Clarke would again win the toss and elect to bat first. "The wicket looks fantastic, I don;t think I've ever seen a ground that looked as good as this," says Michael Clarke

"It's a pleasure for me, my first Test hundred was on this ground. Very special for me," says Kohli who was licking his lips at the idea of making use on a batting paradise of a pitch.

In India 1st innings their batting line up was a under some pressure due to the big total AUS put on but there were no demons in the pitch and Virat Kohli would make full use of the wicket. In the 2nd innings he'd casually make 141, admittedly it was an impressive knock given the rough which Nathan Lyon could exploit but the wicket itself was more Indian then Aussie, what we learned was that Kohli is okay against spin but then again that's of no surprise because you expect that with Indian batsman, even Ashwin is not so bad.

169 vs Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2014

The drop in pitch for this Test was hard and incredibly flat and Australia would elect to bat first, conditions would remain favourable for batting when India would get their turn on the wicket and Kohli would make 169; it might have been a flat wicket but he deserves credit for the knock he played.

147 vs Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2015

Sunil Gavaskar doing the pitch report would say that it was a bat-first surface, on a pretty hot day. Just a hint of grass, and expected to turn later. After the Australian innings ended, India had about 25 overs to survive. India lost Vijay third ball of their innings but Rohit and Rahul have put on an unbeaten 71 after that. Australia put in a good shift but the pitch remained excellent for batting barring some turn and bounce for the spinner.

The next morning Ganguly would say "Still a very good batting surface. Not much rough yet, though there are some drier patches" And when Kohli got his turn he would make 147 making full use of the conditions.

Conclusion

While there is no doubt that Virat Kohli is a decent Test Bat and his performances in Australia were great. However, what is misleading is this idea that he had it tough in Australia and the conditions were against him. I'd describe the wicket during that series as good A/R Test pitches and many a time they replicated what you'd find in the subcontinent, great in the first half and then start to deteriorate providing the spinners some help. I also don't think that particular series put to bed his horror show in England as many suggested.

Discussion

In light of this analysis, we can safely say that Kohli was lucky enough to feast on Australian pitches good for batting but we must give credit where due as it was still an away series. It will be interesting to read some of your posts and the extent to which you agree or disagree with me but I hope that we can be objective.

Not sure why posters have gone off on a tangent but we're speaking of Virats prowess in Australia that is and how it has been used to enhance his image as this unstoppable force away from home when his hundreds came on batting paradises.

 

[shaz619]

Loool the pitches might have been flat but name another player in todays gamewho is going to score 4 centuries in 4 games vs Australia.

Yes, he deserves ATG status for scoring 4 centuries in a row on flat pitches vs AUS and there's no one else who can surpass this monumental feat . Thanks for your intricate input

 

[Hasan123]

Yes, he deserves ATG status for scoring 4 centuries in a row on flat pitches vs AUS and there's no one else who can surpass this monumental feat . Thanks for your intricate input

In tests if he can score in England and be more ruthless in Asia he's heading for ATG status anyway weather you like it or not

 

[shaz619]

In tests if he can score in England and be more ruthless in Asia he's heading for ATG status anyway weather you like it or not

And whether you like it or not he's nothing more then a flat track bully who is popular amongst casual cricket fans, mostly Indians and wannabe Indians

 

[Sachin136]

And whether you like it or not he's nothing more then a flat track bully who is popular amongst casual cricket fans, mostly Indians and wannabe Indians

Are Indian tracks flat or turners? You can only pick one.

 

[Hasan123]

And whether you like it or not he's nothing more then a flat track bully who is popular amongst casual cricket fans, mostly Indians and wannabe Indians

His popularity is irrelevant. Were talking about his batting ability which shouldn't be in question. His job is to score runs not produce green mambas or rank turners just to prove to you he's not an FTB.

 

[shaz619]

His popularity is irrelevant. Were talking about his batting ability which shouldn't be in question. His job is to score runs not produce green mambas or rank turners just to prove to you he's not an FTB.

His popularity is relevant or else it's down right nonsensical for any Test Cricket enthusiast to advocate the greatness of a player who is notorious specifically on flat pitches, Virat Kohli's job is also to score runs across all conditions I don't see anyone labelling him the curator, more excuses

 

[Hasan123]

His popularity is relevant or else it's down right nonsensical for any Test Cricket enthusiast to advocate the greatness of a player who is notorious specifically on flat pitches, Virat Kohli's job is also to score runs across all conditions I don't see anyone labelling him the curator, more excuses

He scored a century in SA on a difficult pitch.
Scored one in Australia on a difficult pitch

Can't remember the pitches for the centuries he got in WI and Sri Lanka. Indian posters will know more bur point I'm trying to make is not all his centuries have been on flat tracks.

 

[shaz619]

Are Indian tracks flat or turners? You can only pick one.

They can be either depending on how the curator prepares the pitch, so now we are going to advocate Virat's greatness based on his performances in his comfort zone? if ability to play spin is the definite criteria to determine greatness then we may as well include Sarfraz Ahmed in the conversation

 

[shaz619]

He scored a century in SA on a difficult pitch.
Scored one in Australia on a difficult pitch

Can't remember the pitches for the centuries he got in WI and Sri Lanka. Indian posters will know more bur point I'm trying to make is not all his centuries have been on flat tracks.

That was a flat pitch, incredibly flat in fact. We've already outlined how all the pitches in Australia were flat or similar to the ones he finds in India.

When did Virat score a hundred on a surface which wasn't flat or similar to a wicket in India? where did he deal with lateral movement with ease? now don't say he survived Amir's deadly swing bowling spell in a T20

 

[Hasan123]

That was a flat pitch, incredibly flat in fact. We've already outlined how all the pitches in Australia were flat or similar to the ones he finds in India.

When did Virat score a hundred on a surface which wasn't flat or similar to a wicket in India? where did he deal with lateral movement with ease? now don't say he survived Amir's deadly swing bowling spell in a T20

They were flat but he did score on a difficult pitch which was turning a bit.

I have told you which games i can remember Indian posters will have to tell you the state of the other pitches with regards to his other centuries.

He's a much improved player against lateral movement he hasnt played in England since the improvements. So well see in 2018 how he will do.

 

[shaz619]

They were flat but he did score on a difficult pitch which was turning a bit.

I have told you which games i can remember Indian posters will have to tell you the state of the other pitches with regards to his other centuries.

He's a much improved player against lateral movement he hasnt played in England since the improvements. So well see in 2018 how he will do.

Thus far we've seen that he is great on Indian like surfaces, he's decent against spin and especially on flat pitches. Based on this evidence I don't understand the over hyping on any level, greatness is achieved over a long period through consistency across all conditions. Virat Kohli is rated mostly by casual fans for superficial reasons, Test cricket enthusiasts get that he got a lot of work to do but others have been quick to advocate his greatness based on 4 centuries v AUS on flat pitches whilst belittling the efforts of those on tougher pitches against superior bowling attacks and care not for consistency over long periods . Yes that will be a big Test for him, hopefully Jimmy Anderson has retired by then

 

[Hasan123]

Thus far we've seen that he is great on Indian like surfaces, he's decent against spin and especially on flat pitches. Based on this evidence I don't understand the over hyping on any level, greatness is achieved over a long period through consistency across all conditions. Virat Kohli is rated mostly by casual fans for superficial reasons, Test cricket enthusiasts get that he got a lot of work to do but others have been quick to advocate his greatness based on 4 centuries v AUS on flat pitches whilst belittling the efforts of those on tougher pitches against superior bowling attacks and care not for consistency over long periods . Yes that will be a big Test for him, hopefully Jimmy Anderson has retired by then

I don't think anyone overrates. Most people rate Smith, Williamsonn, and Root higher in the test format.

He had the potential to improve further.

 

[shaz619]

I don't think anyone overrates. Most people rate Smith, Williamsonn, and Root higher in the test format.

He had the potential to improve further.

Yes they do, this thread is evidence just look at some of the posts. I'd put Kohli somewhere inbetween Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq/Sarfraz. He has potential no doubt, Shafiq has potential as well

 

[Muhammad10]

It is not wrong to admit that Kohli is already a better batsman than Inzamam.

As an all-round batsman, he is better than any Pakistani batsman ever. Will end up as an ATG in Tests as well, which means he will finish above Miandad and Younis in the Test format and is already a better overall batsman than Inzamam, Zaheer Abbas and MoYo.

Delusional claim. That's like saying Rahane, Root, Williamson and Smith will easily surpass Kallis, Ponting and Sachin in the Test format, given they're all leagues above Virat in Test cricket.

 

[Mamoon]

Delusional claim. That's like saying Rahane, Root, Williamson and Smith will easily surpass Kallis, Ponting and Sachin in the Test format, given they're all leagues above Virat in Test cricket.

They are not leagues above Kohli in Tests; they are only marginally better at this time. That is big exaggeration on your part. Not to mention Kohli most of the time plays on rank turners at home; Root and Smith actually have had easier home conditions in the last few years than Kohli.

Younis himself is well below Tendulkar, Ponting and Kallis in Tests, so surpassing him for a player of Kohli's caliber and class should not be difficult. It is a matter of playing enough matches.

He has already bettered him in Australia and South Africa. The only blot on his career so far is the 4 poor matches in England, otherwise his average would be 50+ now. Younis has had the luxury of playing a lot of matches on proper roads.

Give Kohli 6 years on the dead UAE wickets and see his average soar. When he got dead wickets in Australia, he scored 4 hundreds in 4 Tests and recently, he has scored two double-hundreds in quick succession on flat wickets.

There are a lot of myths associated with Kohli's supposed underperformance in Tests which are busted on closer inspection. Like I said, his only failure so far is the poor series in England, but he will get his chance to rectify it.

One should right of a player like at his own peril; he will set the record straight in England as well.

As far as Miandad is concerned, he is better than Younis in Tests but not as good as Tendulkar, Kallis and Ponting. In my opinion, whether Kohli overtakes the likes of Tendulkar, Kallis and Ponting in Tests remains to be seen, but if he doesn't end up better than a tier-2 great like Miandad, he should be very disappointed with himself because talent wise he is right up there with batsmen like Tendulkar, Lara and Ponting.

 

[Muhammad10]

They are not leagues above Kohli in Tests; they are only marginally better at this time. That is big exaggeration on your part. Not to mention Kohli most of the time plays on rank turners at home; Root and Smith actually have had easier home conditions in the last few years than Kohli.

Younis himself is well below Tendulkar, Ponting and Kallis in Tests, so surpassing him for a player of Kohli's caliber and class should not be difficult. It is a matter of playing enough matches.

He has already bettered him in Australia and South Africa. The only blot on his career so far is the 4 poor matches in England, otherwise his average would be 50+ now. Younis has had the luxury of playing a lot of matches on proper roads.

Give Kohli 6 years on the dead UAE wickets and see his average soar. When he got dead wickets in Australia, he scored 4 hundreds in 4 Tests and recently, he has scored two double-hundreds in quick succession on flat wickets.

There are a lot of myths associated with Kohli's supposed underperformance in Tests which are busted on closer inspection. Like I said, his only failure so far is the poor series in England, but he will get his chance to rectify it.

One should right of a player like at his own peril; he will set the record straight in England as well.

As far as Miandad is concerned, he is better than Younis in Tests but not as good as Tendulkar, Kallis and Ponting. In my opinion, whether Kohli overtakes the likes of Tendulkar, Kallis and Ponting in Tests remains to be seen, but if he doesn't end up better than a tier-2 great like Miandad, he should be very disappointed with himself because talent wise he is right up there with batsmen like Tendulkar, Lara and Ponting.

Rahane's average is close to 50, while he plays in the same conditions as Kohli. I have no doubt he's a superior Test batsman and not too far behind the Big-3 (i.e. Root, Kane and Smith).

The way I see it, Kohli is a tier-2 great of the current Test era, alongside the likes of Azhar, Misbah, Mathews, Sarfraz and Ross Taylor (whose recent decline has dented his overall standing somewhat).

 

[Mamoon]

Rahane's average is close to 50, while he plays in the same conditions as Kohli. I have no doubt he's a superior Test batsman and not far behind the Big-3 (Root, Kane and Smith).

The way I see it, Kohli is a tier-2 great of the current Test era, alongside the likes of Azhar, Misbah, Mathews, Sarfraz and Ross Taylor (whose recent decline has dented his overall standing somewhat).

Rahane is great too, but I have doubts over his ability to be the main man. He seems like someone who loves to play second-fiddle and not be in the spotlight. A bit like Dravid.

Kohli though towered over him in Australia. In the long run, I'd back Kohli to do better than Rahane.

Kohli cannot be put in the same tier as the tier-2 players you mentioned. He's better than all of them and if you are hesitant to put him in tier-1, then at least put him in a tier of his own. Tier-1.5?

 

[Hasan123]

Yes they do, this thread is evidence just look at some of the posts. I'd put Kohli somewhere inbetween Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq/Sarfraz. He has potential no doubt, Shafiq has potential as well

That's a fair place to put him.

Shafiq is a good playe, if he could dominate a series in England or Australia he could be up there with the top test players but until than he will lag behind

 

[shaz619]

Boo hoo! why advocate Kohli's greatness based on the rank turners he scores runs on?! it's the norm! It's not like he's an Aussie or an Englishman, the challenge for Kohli is to deal with lateral movement, the challenge for an Englishman for example is to deal with spin. Both will get flat pitches from time to time but it is also expected that they master all conditions in their home turf on wickets which they have encountered/grown up playing on all their life. Not everyone will be able to master the distinct conditions at home and from that perspective we can filter out those whom are incredibly rubbish but those who can are not out of this world but have the distinction of being labelled FTB's until proven otherwise

 

[shaz619]

That's a fair place to put him.

Shafiq is a good playe, if he could dominate a series in England or Australia he could be up there with the top test players but until than he will lag behind

He has fallen behind big time and a lot depends on his performances in NZ/AUS, there's a chance that he'll be around the squad after the tour but not above Babar if he continues to fail

 

[Muhammad10]

Rahane is great too, but I have doubts over his ability to be the main man. He seems like someone who loves to play second-fiddle and not be in the spotlight. A bit like Dravid.

Kohli though towered over him in Australia. In the long run, I'd back Kohli to do better than Rahane.

Kohli cannot be put in the same tier as the tier-2 players you mentioned. He's better than all of them and if you are hesitant to put him in tier-1, then at least put him in a tier of his own. Tier-1.5?

Alright. We can also toss in David 'Axeman' Warner (so that Kohli doesn't feel lonely) to make up Tier 1.5.

 

[Hasan123]

He has fallen behind big time and a lot depends on his performances in NZ/AUS, there's a chance that he'll be around the squad after the tour but not above Babar if he continues to fail

If he doesn't perform in NZ and Australia he should move down to 4 or 5. There is no need to drop Asad as Pakistan doesnt have many test match batsmen better. If Harris can get fit than he will seriously challenge Asad. Other than that he should be safe.

 

[shaz619]

If he doesn't perform in NZ and Australia he should move down to 4 or 5. There is no need to drop Asad as Pakistan doesnt have many test match batsmen better. If Harris can get fit than he will seriously challenge Asad. Other than that he should be safe.

If there's anyone to challenge him it will be Babar, the only thing which Harris will be challenging for now is himself and whether he can play a couple of strokes without breaking down; however I don't see Shafiq being dropped anytime soon and he'll be invested in for the long haul at no.3

 

[Hasan123]

If there's anyone to challenge him it will be Babar, the only thing which Harris will be challenging for now is himself and whether he can play a couple of strokes without breaking down; however I don't see Shafiq being dropped anytime soon and he'll be invested in for the long haul at no.3

Harris is going to be fit for psl so don't rule him out yet.

Babar is certain to be in the test team when Misbah and Younis retire. It's just a question of where he will bat.

 

[shaz619]

Harris is going to be fit for psl so don't rule him out yet.

Babar is certain to be in the test team when Misbah and Younis retire. It's just a question of where he will bat.

He will start at no.11 and work his way to no.1 like Shoaib Malik his ultimate idol

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

In ODI kohli is already an ATG material but in test long time. Even at present he is not in the first tier.

 

[anindo]

Kohli's Test career could be like Sachin's ODI career. Took a long time to really get going but once he did he was phenomenal.

 

[Ab Fan]

Kohli is going all right in his career.

These ATG tags are unnecessary obsessions of fans.

 

[OS_89]

And this thread doesn't even mention Kohli's two innings in the Perth test in 2012. He looked superb when the rest of the veterans were in decline on a very difficult pitch.

But people will conveniently ignore all the times he does well on tough pitches. Clearly an FTB.