Is Virat Kohli not made for new ball? Cheteshwar Pujara dives deep into India batter’s repeated failures in BGT 2024-25

5, 100 not out, 7 , 11 and 3 – 126 runs in five innings. That’s not Virat Kohli in Australia so sure as these numbers don’t do justice to the former India captain’s statistics and abilities Down Under. If Josh Hazlewood’s short of length outside off-stump coupled with extra bounce caught Kohli off-guard in the first innings in Perth, the batting stalwart repeatedly fell into Australia trap in his last three innings while trying to chase the outside of off-stump deliveries.

While legendary Sunil Gavaskar repeatedly urged the stylish Indian batter to be patient and leave the balls which are outside off-stump, citing Sachin Tendulkar‘s Sydney template in 2004, Kohli’s former India teammate Cheteshwar Pujara came up with a different insight.

Pujara, who has been India’s hero multiple times Down Under, pointed fingers at India’s top order’s failure, which forced Kohli to come early and face the new ball.

“He (Kohli) has been forced to play the new ball. He has gotten out whenever he has played the new ball. When he played the old ball, he scored a hundred in Perth. So that’s also a very big point,” Pujara told Star Sports.

“His technique is not made for the new ball. His batting should come after 10, 15 or 20 overs. If he plays the new ball, the bowlers are fresh, and their confidence is also high. When they get two wickets, the entire team is charged up. So when you come to bat at that stage, it’s not easy,” added Pujara, who last played for India in 2023.

Meanwhile, Pujara’s insight on Kohli contradict the latter’s statistics in international cricket. While Kohli never opened on Tests, but the right-hander faced the new ball seven times in ODIs and 17 times in T20Is in his 16 years of international career.

Virat Kohli’s Test record in Australia

Among the current batch of the Indian players who are in Australia, Kohli has the best record on Australian soil with 1478 runs in 16 matches, including seven hundreds. Out of his seven hundreds, the latest came in the first Test in Perth.