Team India star batter Virat Kohli ended a challenging year with just five runs in the second innings of the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne. Virat Kohli entered the record books for unwanted reasons, recording the lowest average for a top 6 Indian batter in international cricket in a calendar year.
Kohli was dismissed for five runs off 29 deliveries in the first session on Day 5 of the Boxing Day Test match on Monday, December 30. His wicket came at a crucial moment after Pat Cummins had dismissed Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, leaving India struggling at 33-3 while chasing a massive target of 340 runs.
Virat Kohli Registers Lowest Ever Batting Average for an Indian
The 36-year-old batter played a flashy cover drive off Mitchell Starc’s full delivery, but he managed to edge it. Usman Khawaja took a safe catch at first slip to dismiss Kohli. Kohli’s dismissal gave Australia the momentum, leaving India needing 307 runs to win or to survive two more sessions for a draw.
Kohli achieved the record for the lowest batting average in a calendar year among Indian players in the top six positions in international cricket. Kohli averaged 21.83 across formats for India in 2024. He surpassed Sanjay Manjrekar, who averaged 23.42 in 1992, in the unwanted list of Indian cricketers.
Lowest Average for a Top 6 Indian Batter in a Calendar Year in International Cricket
| Average | Player | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 21.83 | Virat Kohli | 2024 |
| 23.42 | Sanjay Manjrekar | 1992 |
| 23.60 | Robin Singh | 1999 |
| 23.66 | Rohit Sharma | 2008 |
| 24.21 | Rishabh Pant | 2019 |
*Minimum 25 innings.
Virat Kohli Will Score a Ton of Runs in the Next Two to Three Years – Ravi Shastri
Speaking before India’s second innings, Ravi Shastri offered advice to Virat Kohli. He encouraged Kohli to block out external noise and focus on his natural game. Shastri predicted that Kohli could score a lot of runs, including centuries, over the next two to three years if he maintains discipline.
“Forget everything else. Jo bhi log keh rahe hai vo bhuul jaao, vo bhaad mein gaya (Whatever people are saying, forget it, that can go to hell),” Shastri said on Star Sports.
“Bat how you have been doing because your purple patch will come. Discipline is discipline. Leave the balls outside off, make Australia bowl to your body, show patience, show discipline. A lot of runs will come. I am saying Virat Kohli will score a ton of runs in the next two to three years if he takes this approach.”
Kohli scored 36 runs off 86 balls in the first innings at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He appeared in good form, leaving deliveries outside off stump and pulling or flicking balls on his body with ease.
However, his partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal came to an end due to a miscommunication between the two, leading to Jaiswal’s dismissal. Kohli seemed distracted and eventually edged a length delivery from Scott Boland, resulting in his wicket.
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