Virat Kohli’s Test average dips below 47 for the first time in 8 years

For the first time since November 2016, Virat Kohli’s Test average has dropped below 47. On the back of his twin failures in the fifth and final Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney, Kohli’s average now reads 46.85. The last time Kohli’s average was lower was in November 2016, after the Rajkot Test against England, at which point his average read 46.11.

Kohli’s Test average dropped below 47 after, on day two, he nicked off against Scott Boland for the fourth time in the series - twice here Sydney, once in Brisbane and once in Adelaide. Kohli poked at a fifth stump delivery which went straight into the hands of Steve Smith at second slip, who made no mistake. 

With the failure, Kohli ended his series with an average of 23.75 - his lowest in a Test series in Australia. He started the series with an unbeaten ton in the second innings in Perth, but then finished the tour with scores of 7, 11, 3, 36, 5, 17 & 6. 

It continues a sharp decline for Kohli in the longest format. His Test average peaked at 55.10 at the end of the Pune Test against South Africa in 2019, where he smashed an unbeaten 254. 

His average has now dropped by nine runs, and he is at the serious risk of ending his Test career with an average under 45.