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Does India even need Virat Kohli anymore?

As a Test batsman, Kohli is closer to the level of Ian Bell than he is to Younis Khan. Indians are not ready for this conversation, but they are never ready to face the truth.
 
He's without doubt one of the best batsmen to play the sport, but he should have done more in Test cricket.

A man of his talent should have been dominant like Steve Smith.
 
No doubt he is arguably the white ball GOAT, and undoubtedly the ODI GOAT, but he doesn’t even qualify as a great Test batsman anymore let alone be counted amongst legends of the format, and that’s a huge dent on his legacy.

His Test career has gone down quicker than IAF pilots do in combat with PAF pilots. The fall from grace post the 2019 series vs South Africa has been astonishing.

2020-2025 Kohli is legitimately one of the worst Test batsmen in the world if not the worst.
 
Mamoon said:
As a Test batsman, Kohli is closer to the level of Ian Bell than he is to Younis Khan. Indians are not ready for this conversation, but they are never ready to face the truth.
Click to expand...

YK is on another stratosphere to Kohli, YK was a modern great in Tests, and despite that, his record could have been even better. Kohli should have retired in 2019 to fool a few people, think he was averaging 50 then or close to it.
 
Kohli should join the army, they could do with the help and the bar is not that high :yk3
 
jeeteshssaxena said:
YK has four hundreds in SENA in his whole career. I don’t rate him that high, pretty close to Kohli, Sehwag and two levels behind Dravid, Tendulkar and Gavaskar.
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Younis averages higher than Kohli in Australia, England and New Zealand. South Africa is the only place where Kohli has done better than him.

The only reason Kohli has more runs and hundreds is because he has played a lot more Tests in these countries.

Younis has played 25% of his Tests in these countries. On the contrary, Kohli has played 40% of his Tests in these countries.

Younis is simply a far better Test batsman than Kohli and it is not up for debate anymore.
 
Mamoon said:
Younis averages higher than Kohli in Australia, England and New Zealand. South Africa is the only place where Kohli has done better than him.

The only reason Kohli has more runs and hundreds is because he has played a lot more Tests in these countries.

Younis has played 25% of his Tests in these countries. On the contrary, Kohli has played 40% of his Tests in these countries.

Younis is simply a far better Test batsman than Kohli and it is not up for debate anymore.
Click to expand...

But who is going to convince your own younger self from just a year ago ? .... lol
 
Mamoon said:
Younis averages higher than Kohli in Australia, England and New Zealand. South Africa is the only place where Kohli has done better than him.

The only reason Kohli has more runs and hundreds is because he has played a lot more Tests in these countries.

Younis has played 25% of his Tests in these countries. On the contrary, Kohli has played 40% of his Tests in these countries.

Younis is simply a far better Test batsman than Kohli and it is not up for debate anymore.
Click to expand...
4 centuries is still very mediocre. Multiply it by two and you still get 8 centuries against Kohlis 12.

Btw Kohli has 7 centuries in Australia thats more than Khans entire century tally in SENA. :yk

Don’t tell me about his performance in Australia,lol. His average is inflated due to one dead rubber century on the flattest of all pattas, Pakistan didn’t draw a single test match in Aus.


A poster like you who changed his opinion by 180 degree doesn’t get to decide if its debatable or not.
 
jeeteshssaxena said:
4 centuries is still very mediocre. Multiply it by two and you still get 8 centuries against Kohlis 12.

Btw Kohli has 7 centuries in Australia thats more than Khans entire century tally in SENA. :yk

Don’t tell me about his performance in Australia,lol. His average is inflated due to one dead rubber century on the flattest of all pattas, Pakistan didn’t draw a single test match in Aus.


A poster like you who changed his opinion by 180 degree doesn’t get to decide if its debatable or not.
Click to expand...
Only Indian fans are deluded enough to have the audacity to compare a 50+ averaging batsman with someone who isn’t good enough to finish his career with an average of 47.

As far as the chest-thumping over Kohli’s SENA record is concerned, he averages a poor 38 after 30 Tests in England & New Zealand.

He has benefited from scoring runs on flat Australian pitches which is why it is comical to downplay Younis’ record in Australia.

Here are Australia’s scores in the Tests where Kohli has scored centuries in Australia:

604
572
530
517
326
104

Apart from the Perth Test last year where both teams got bundled cheaply in the first innings, none of his hundreds have come on pitches that can be considered as tough for batting.

Younis retired 8 years ago but even today, I bet he can school Kohli on how to play spin bowling.

Kohli has done nothing in his Test career that will give him superiority over Younis or any other 50+ averaging batsman.

An average of 46 for a middle-order batsman who’s hyped up as an ATG is beyond embarrassing.
 
I am sorry this is Bhagdad Bob level of delusion. I know you guys are being fed propaganda and you need to be patriotic but this is mental illness level of delusion.
 
Savak said:
The Pakistani Air Force showed what they will do with the rest of India who tries to do the same
Click to expand...
I am sorry this is Bhagdad Bob level of delusion. I know you guys are being fed propaganda and you need to be patriotic but this is mental illness level of delusion.
 
For me, Younis Khan is basically poor mans Rahul Dravid.
Mamoon said:
Only Indian fans are deluded enough to have the audacity to compare a 50+ averaging batsman with someone who isn’t good enough to finish his career with an average of 47.

As far as the chest-thumping over Kohli’s SENA record is concerned, he averages a poor 38 after 30 Tests in England & New Zealand.

He has benefited from scoring runs on flat Australian pitches which is why it is comical to downplay Younis’ record in Australia.

Here are Australia’s scores in the Tests where Kohli has scored centuries in Australia:

604
572
530
517
326
104

Apart from the Perth Test last year where both teams got bundled cheaply in the first innings, none of his hundreds have come on pitches that can be considered as tough for batting.

Younis retired 8 years ago but even today, I bet he can school Kohli on how to play spin bowling.

Kohli has done nothing in his Test career that will give him superiority over Younis or any other 50+ averaging batsman.

An average of 46 for a middle-order batsman who’s hyped up as an ATG is beyond embarrassing.
Click to expand...
104 and 326 are high scores? :yk

You can only school your low iq janta with this nonsense, not me.

Kohlis runs in Australia have helped us draw and win matches, Younis has one century in a lost match and you have the gall of comparing Kohlis performance in Aus with him?

Anyways, Kohli will be remembered decades after his retirement ( something which you said before you got hit on your head) as one the legendary batters, Yk is not even rated by his own nation.

Also, tell me one more thing? Will runs start flowing in 2025 for Babar or not? 🤡

Kohli has won more icc tournaments than Pakistan. Yk, Youhana, Inzi do not come close in terms of legacy.
 
jeeteshssaxena said:
For me, Younis Khan is basically poor mans Rahul Dravid.
Click to expand...
If Younis is a poor man’s Dravid, then Kohli is a homeless man’s Dravid.
jeeteshssaxena said:
104 and 326 are high scores? :yk
Click to expand...
Maybe you should learn to read properly before using emojis. I already mentioned the Perth Test from last year, and 326 is not a score that you’ll see on a bowling-friendly pitch. Also, it’s funny how you are completely ignoring all the other hundreds that came on pitches where Australia scored 500+.
jeeteshssaxena said:
You can only school your low iq janta with this nonsense, not me.
Click to expand...
I think it’s fair to say that the events of the last few days have proved that the collective IQ of Pakistanis is certainly higher than that of Indians.
jeeteshssaxena said:
Kohlis runs in Australia have helped us draw and win matches, Younis has one century in a lost match and you have the gall of comparing Kohlis performance in Aus with him?
Click to expand...
This is one example of a low IQ assertion. Younis is not responsible for his bowlers not taking enough wickets to draw/win in Australia. If you score 175 and lose the match, the blame falls on others batsmen and on the bowlers not on you. You did your part.

Put prime Younis in the Indian team of the last 10 years or so and he draws and wins plenty of Tests in Australia because of India’s excellent bowling attack.
jeeteshssaxena said:
Anyways, Kohli will be remembered decades after his retirement ( something which you said before you got hit on your head) as one the legendary batters, Yk is not even rated by his own nation.
Click to expand...
Kohli will be remembered for his exploits in white ball cricket which are phenomenal and also for having arguably the most dramatic fall from grace in history of Test cricket.
jeeteshssaxena said:
Also, tell me one more thing? Will runs start flowing in 2025 for Babar or not? 🤡
Click to expand...
Babar or anyone else has nothing to do with the fact that Kohli is not even good enough to retire with an average of 47 in Test cricket. If talking about Babar or others makes you feel better about it, carry on.
jeeteshssaxena said:
Kohli has won more icc tournaments than Pakistan. Yk, Youhana, Inzi do not come close in terms of legacy.
Click to expand...
Which has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he is not even good enough to retire with an average of 47 in Test cricket. The fact that you are bringing white ball cricket into the discussion now proves that you have accepted defeat and I can’t blame you because any middle-order Test batsman who retires with less than 10k runs and less than 50 average cannot be counted amongst the Test greats.

If you want the last word you can have the last word. I don’t need to say much because Kohli’s embarrassing Test record speaks for itself.
 
Had Kohli retired a year or 2 earlier or at least hinted BCCI about his intentions of quitting tests, we could have at least groomed his replacement against lesser opponents or in home conditions.

Now after selfishly retiring just before the England tour which is a baptism with fire for any batsman, let alone a debutant/young upcoming batsman, Kohli has only proved how selfish he has been.
 
Anyways, he can be proud of what he achieved as our test captain and during his purple patch. Not sure, we could have a better test captain than him going forward.
 
Mamoon said:
Only Indian fans are deluded enough to have the audacity to compare a 50+ averaging batsman with someone who isn’t good enough to finish his career with an average of 47.

As far as the chest-thumping over Kohli’s SENA record is concerned, he averages a poor 38 after 30 Tests in England & New Zealand.

He has benefited from scoring runs on flat Australian pitches which is why it is comical to downplay Younis’ record in Australia.

Here are Australia’s scores in the Tests where Kohli has scored centuries in Australia:

604
572
530
517
326
104

Apart from the Perth Test last year where both teams got bundled cheaply in the first innings, none of his hundreds have come on pitches that can be considered as tough for batting.

Younis retired 8 years ago but even today, I bet he can school Kohli on how to play spin bowling.

Kohli has done nothing in his Test career that will give him superiority over Younis or any other 50+ averaging batsman.

An average of 46 for a middle-order batsman who’s hyped up as an ATG is beyond embarrassing.
Click to expand...
And don't forget yk was never gven red carpet treatment like virat kohli. He was mostly in and out of team and bench player until 2010 where he also miss whole 2009-10 away tours of australia, england and new zealand due to politics in team when he was in his peak otherwise his away record would be even better. Thanks to misbah he brong stability from 2011 and he played regularly for 6 years and and retired with 10k runs with 7 hundreds in SENA. So he either tour SENA when he is young or he tour SENA when he is out of peak like 2014-2016 but still score 200 at the age of 41 in uk in 2016 when virat kohli of 36 can't even tour UK and run away and retire. Plus who forget his 55 plus average in 4th innings. A great Test player on league of sangakkara and dravid, but I think sangakkara is little overrated because he bashes bangladesh and zimbabwe a lot, around 25 percent of his runs are against them....
 
jeeteshssaxena said:
For me, Younis Khan is basically poor mans Rahul Dravid.

104 and 326 are high scores? :yk

You can only school your low iq janta with this nonsense, not me.

Kohlis runs in Australia have helped us draw and win matches, Younis has one century in a lost match and you have the gall of comparing Kohlis performance in Aus with him?

Anyways, Kohli will be remembered decades after his retirement ( something which you said before you got hit on your head) as one the legendary batters, Yk is not even rated by his own nation.

Also, tell me one more thing? Will runs start flowing in 2025 for Babar or not? 🤡

Kohli has won more icc tournaments than Pakistan. Yk, Youhana, Inzi do not come close in terms of legacy.
Click to expand...
Kohli fan boy alert 🤣, but but but but, I have clout on an aussie forumn so I win.
 
VIRAT KOHLI IN THE LAST 29 INNINGS IN IPL:

100(63), 101*(61), 21(20), 77(49), 83*(59), 22(16), 113*(72), 3(9), 42(20), 18(7), 51(43), 70*(44), 42(27), 92(47), 27(13), 47(29), 33(24), 59*(36), 31(30), 7(6), 67(42), 22(14), 62*(45), 1(3), 73*(54), 70(42), 51(47), 62(33) & 43(25).
 
Test captaincy records of Indian cricket team leaders since 2014

Under Virat Kohli’s leadership, India played 68 matches, winning 40, losing 17, and drawing 11, resulting in a commendable win percentage of 58.82%. In contrast, under other captains like MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Jasprit Bumrah, and KL Rahul, the team played 46 matches, securing 20 wins, 18 losses, and 8 draws, with a significantly lower win percentage of 43.48%.
 
Virat Kohli playing his 551st international match for India today against Australia— now second only to Sachin Tendulkar.

Kohli now stands behind only the Master Blaster (664) in all-time appearances for India across formats. He edges past MS Dhoni (535), Rahul Dravid (504), and Rohit Sharma (500*) — elite fitness.
 
Ball Blazer said:
Test captaincy records of Indian cricket team leaders since 2014

Under Virat Kohli’s leadership, India played 68 matches, winning 40, losing 17, and drawing 11, resulting in a commendable win percentage of 58.82%. In contrast, under other captains like MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Jasprit Bumrah, and KL Rahul, the team played 46 matches, securing 20 wins, 18 losses, and 8 draws, with a significantly lower win percentage of 43.48%.
Click to expand...
Rahane led in 5 test matches winning 4, 2 of those 4 in Australia & drawing 1.

Dhoni was an average test captain, lost every series in SENA, would have been sacked much earlier had it not have been Srinivasan as BCCI president & Srikkanth as chief selector.
 
His name was the main crowd puller in the test series and many Indians have said this ODI series is only because of him too.

Maybe India needs him more than they are willing to let on.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
His name was the main crowd puller in the test series and many Indians have said this ODI series is only because of him too.

Maybe India needs him more than they are willing to let on.
Click to expand...
Similar things were said for the T20 and Test sides and Kohli is not missed in either format
 
Yet another duck for Kohli in the 2nd ODI against Australia... tyring to open his own poultry farm???

Just retire bro
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Similar things were said for the T20 and Test sides and Kohli is not missed in either format
Click to expand...
That's a lie as Karun and Sai have proven to be worse then Kohli and Gill has consistently shown he's a flat track bully.

You are always missed until a proper replacement comes along.

For example a washed up David Warner is still better then Konstas, Labu, Mcsweeney etc etc as an opener .

Rohit isn't missed due to Jaiswal I agree but you need a replacement.

The replacement doesnt have to be > the batter in prime, but they do have to better then their washed up selves.
 
mominsaigol said:
That's a lie as Karun and Sai have proven to be worse then Kohli and Gill has consistently shown he's a flat track bully.

You are always missed until a proper replacement comes along.

For example a washed up David Warner is still better then Konstas, Labu, Mcsweeney etc etc as an opener .

Rohit isn't missed due to Jaiswal I agree but you need a replacement.

The replacement doesnt have to be > the batter in prime, but they do have to better then their washed up selves.
Click to expand...
Talking about test only, in t20 they aint missed
 
mominsaigol said:
That's a lie as Karun and Sai have proven to be worse then Kohli and Gill has consistently shown he's a flat track bully.

You are always missed until a proper replacement comes along.

For example a washed up David Warner is still better then Konstas, Labu, Mcsweeney etc etc as an opener .

Rohit isn't missed due to Jaiswal I agree but you need a replacement.

The replacement doesnt have to be > the batter in prime, but they do have to better then their washed up selves.
Click to expand...
What is a lie? Gill is the one who has replaced Kohli at #4 in Test cricket.

And he has done remarkably well in England.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
What is a lie? Gill is the one who has replaced Kohli at #4 in Test cricket.

And he has done remarkably well in England.
Click to expand...

Nikhil_cric said:
What is a lie? Gill is the one who has replaced Kohli at #4 in Test cricket.

And he has done remarkably well in England.
Click to expand...
Yes gill replaced Kohli in the squad by already being in the squad during kohli era and batting with him.

What a replacement.

So gill replaced kohli and Karun and Sai replaced Gill :vk2 .

It seems I'm the only poster who speaks the unbiased truth nowadays.

(PS: Still love you Nikhil bro)
 
mominsaigol said:
Yes gill replaced Kohli in the squad by already being in the squad during kohli era and batting with him.

What a replacement.

So gill replaced kohli and Karun and Sai replaced Gill :vk2 .

It seems I'm the only poster who speaks the unbiased truth nowadays.

(PS: Still love you Nikhil bro)
Click to expand...
Gill replaced Kohli at #4 . #3 is the toughest place to bat in Test cricket in recent times

Nobody does well there - Pope, Labuschagne etc.

The moment Kohli retired and Gill started batting at #4, his numbers improved dramatically. Kohli was sucking the life out of the batting at #4 in recent years.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Gill replaced Kohli at #4 . #3 is the toughest place to bat in Test cricket in recent times

Nobody does well there - Pope, Labuschagne etc.

The moment Kohli retired and Gill started batting at #4, his numbers improved dramatically. Kohli was sucking the life out of the batting at #4 in recent years.
Click to expand...
Gill at no 4 got 2 easy opposition in wi and even kohli was smoking Bangladesh in the series at home.

At no 4 he then got 2 uber flat tracks vs England and then failed in the following 3 games after once england stopped going that route? Excluding 4th test where he failed for some reason.

Gill is a quality player. But he's a certified ftb, I have never seen him perform otherwise which even kohli was able to score a century on the Perth flat track den.

I forward gill at no 4, but lets stop pretending as if he's kohli's replacement.

A replacement is someone who isnt in the squad or playing 11 and is now replacing a guy who has either been dropped or retired.

The no 3 thing, I agree with. No complaints their elder bro.
 
Virat Kohli from his debut till the end of 2019 - I absolutely adored him. Not just me, every Indian fan did.

Virat Kohli from 2020 till now? The less said the better.​
 
Kohli can't decide to play only one format of the game and then think he's still going to get match fitness.

India won't miss this Kohli. He's still fit enough to play but he needs to be playing domestic white ball cricket in order to get selected. Hope this is his last series.
 
mominsaigol said:
Gill at no 4 got 2 easy opposition in wi and even kohli was smoking Bangladesh in the series at home.

At no 4 he then got 2 uber flat tracks vs England and then failed in the following 3 games after once england stopped going that route? Excluding 4th test where he failed for some reason.

Gill is a quality player. But he's a certified ftb, I have never seen him perform otherwise which even kohli was able to score a century on the Perth flat track den.

I forward gill at no 4, but lets stop pretending as if he's kohli's replacement.

A replacement is someone who isnt in the squad or playing 11 and is now replacing a guy who has either been dropped or retired.

The no 3 thing, I agree with. No complaints their elder bro.
Click to expand...
Even if you consider him an FTB , which I don't think he is, there is no way anyone can say Kohli would've done better than Gill at #4 in England.

Even peak would've struggled to match Gill's output

Besides, my original argument also included T20 cricket where folks here were convinced that India would become a middling side without RoKo.

That clearly hasn't happened.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Even if you consider him an FTB , which I don't think he is, there is no way anyone can say Kohli would've done better than Gill at #4 in England.

Even peak would've struggled to match Gill's output

Besides, my original argument also included T20 cricket where folks here were convinced that India would become a middling side without RoKo.

That clearly hasn't happened.
Click to expand...
AlrightE. Makes sense.

^^ Ps: Not being sarcastic. I agree with you genuinely. The truth shall always make sense.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
His name was the main crowd puller in the test series and many Indians have said this ODI series is only because of him too.

Maybe India needs him more than they are willing to let on.
Click to expand...
Agree. The ODI's are just so the broadcaster can make $$$. Playing on the Sharma, Kohli return.

Otherwise, Ind. have plenty of options. Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Varma and I am sure a couple of more that are ready for the playing XI.

Perhaps this is the Sharma, Kohli farewell series.
 
His time is up. All good things in life come to an end. India has a lot of bench strength to pick from now. Both he and Rohit should be politely told to announce their retirements or be prepared to be dropped from the team.
 
2 back-to-back ducks, and then he scored his 75th 50 in ODIs today in ther 3rd ODI game..

Kohli's last in Australia or is he staying??
 
Kohli still has the ability , but consistency which made him ODI ATG is gone.
 
India can win even without him. He is not an X Factor anymore. He is just hogging a spot unnecessarily now
 
Savak said:
India can win even without him. He is not an X Factor anymore. He is just hogging a spot unnecessarily now
Click to expand...
Both Kohli and Sharma are hogging. India have Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Varma all waiting for top order slot. Players that are very much ready for the playing eleven.

Today should be Sharma, Kohli farewell.

Jaiswal, Gill, Varma, Iyer top 4 for India going forward.
 
India needs the experience of Rohit and Kohli.

In the 3 match ODI series, again it had to be them to pull us over the line. None of the youngsters stepped up ironically in a series the sword was hanging over the seniors. Shubman Gill turned out to be the biggest loser of the series, this was his moment to shine and a player of his hype should have won at least 1/3 games for us on his own.
 
Bhaijaan said:
India needs the experience of Rohit and Kohli.

In the 3 match ODI series, again it had to be them to pull us over the line. None of the youngsters stepped up ironically in a series the sword was hanging over the seniors. Shubman Gill turned out to be the biggest loser of the series, this was his moment to shine and a player of his hype should have won at least 1/3 games for us on his own.
Click to expand...
BCCI should have given Gill a break from bilateral ODIs. Playing 7 tests in 3 months time is a lot of workload. Plus they needlessly picked him for Asia cup T20Is.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
BCCI should have given Gill a break from bilateral ODIs. Playing 7 tests in 3 months time is a lot of workload. Plus they needlessly picked him for Asia cup T20Is.
Click to expand...

Can’t be given a break against India’s greatest rival in cricket. He’s young and is just a batter. He should be able to cope with this much cricket.

Rohit Sharma with a fifty and a match winning century has made a strong case to be retained as the ODI opener. They put all the pressure on him and gave him 3 matches to perform or perish. Now that he’s managed his end of the deal, BCCI and the team management should also act honourably and continue with him
Without putting needless pressure on him in every series.

Virat is the glue that holds our middle order in ODIs. We need his experience.
Nobody absorbes big match pressure like he does.
 
Virat is still the best middle order batsman in ODIs.. Even this lesser version of him is the best the world has to offer
Name me one batter who is better than Virat in ODIs at no 3 anywhere
 
Robbie said:
Virat is still the best middle order batsman in ODIs.. Even this lesser version of him is the best the world has to offer
Name me one batter who is better than Virat in ODIs at no 3 anywhere
Click to expand...
Kane Williamson and Joe Root if he again starts at 3
 
Kohli's inning has secured his spot for now. He will get criticized as soon as he fails... 2027 is a long time still. I think it is better to retire with dignity than just be a dead weight in the end.
 
Kohli is now highest run scorer in White ball International cricket history surpassing Sachin Tendulkar.

To me, Kohli is

- GOAT White ball batsmen

- Top 5 ODI batsmen

- GOAT T20I batsmen

- GOAT Chaser in both ODI and T20Is
 
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