Irfan Pathan slams Virat Kohli over poor show in Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan has slammed star batter Virat Kohli over his dismal outing in the AUS v IND Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australia thrashed India in the fifth and final Test by six wickets in Sydney earlier today, clinching the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1.

Senior Indian batters such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul received severe criticism for failing to score big innings for the tourists throughout the five-match AUS v IND Test series.

Kohli ended the five-match series against Australia with 190 runs from nine innings at an average of 23.75 and at a strike rate of 47.98.

Now, former pacer Irfan Pathan asserted that refusing to play domestic cricket was the reason behind the slump in Virat Kohli’s form.

“Many players had the opportunity to play domestic cricket, but they did not play. Why is that happening? Because the culture has changed. We have to change the culture. We have to improve things for Indian cricket as a team. Tell me, when was the last time Virat Kohli played domestic cricket? When did it happen? Even the great Sachin Tendulkar played Ranji Trophy even when it wasn’t required of him, only because he wanted to spend that much time—four or five days—on the pitch,” said the former pacer.

Irfan Pathan also took aim at the right-handed batter for getting dismissed in the same manner – getting edged while playing outside off-stump deliveries during the AUS v IND Tests.

“When we talk about Virat Kohli, he has done a lot for India. He has delivered many performances. But you are getting out from the same mistake again and again. You are not creating a gap between two mistakes. You are not trying to fix the technical mistake. Sunny Sir is in the field. How long does it take to talk to Sunny Sir or someone?” he lamented.

The former Indian pacer also called for bringing new blood into the team to replace senior players who have been failing for the last few years.

“For the Indian team in 2024, in the first innings where you basically set up the match, Virat Kohli’s average is 15. And if you consider his average over the last five years, it’s not even 30. Does the Indian team deserve its senior player? Instead, give a youngster a chance. Tell him to get ready. He will also give an average of 25–30,” Irfan Pathan said.