Was Virat Kohli unfairly pushed out of India’s Test team? The numbers tell a different story

In his recent appearance on the RCB Podcast, Virat Kohli had hinted at the fact that he wasn’t a fan of the way he was being treated by the Indian team management and the selection committee.

Kohli had signed off from T20Is in style by starring in India’s victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign, but took the cricketing world by surprise after announcing his retirement from Tests less than a year later, on the heels of a similar announcement from Rohit Sharma.

Kohli, who remains active in ODIs and continues to represent Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League, appeared to take a veiled dig at head coach Gautam Gambhir or chief selector Ajit Agarkar, or both, claiming that people were trying to “complicate” things for him.

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The former India and RCB captain remains in great nick with the bat, whether wearing the blue or the red jersey. His recent comments, however, appear pointed towards his exit from the Test arena, with Kohli possibly hinting at being forced to retire from the five-day format – one that he had championed throughout his career as the most prestigious format.

It’s been a year since Kohli dropped the bombshell announcement via Instagram, similar to the ‘Hitman’. However, given his recent comments and the discussion it has sparked on social media, now would be an ideal time to revisit the circumstances surrounding his exit from the Test team.

Kohli’s barren patch between the years 2020 and 2022 is all too familiar for Indian cricket fans, with the ‘King’ having failed to register a single century during this period. As for his Test numbers, Kohli did have his moments during this period – especially in the years 2023 and 2024.

But his batting average in the last five years of his Test career, which concluded with the New Year’s Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, stands at just 30.72, having amassed a little over 2,000 runs (2,028) with the help of three centuries.

How other members of the 'Fab Four' fared during the same period

One could argue that the changing nature of pitches, including and especially in the subcontinent, or bowling attacks becoming more lethal as a reason behind such a sharp dip in Kohli’s batting numbers. Then again, such a trend would also reflect in the batting averages of his contemporaries – including and especially other members of the ‘Fab Four’.

Only Rishabh Pant and Rohit have scored more runs for India and have had a better average compared to Kohli during this period – the former averaging 41.49 for his 2,194 runs.

Joe Root had amassed 5,613 runs at an average of 54.49 in Tests during the same period in which Virat Kohli averaged 30.72. Image: Reuters

England’s Joe Root, however, has been a run machine during the same period, scoring 5,613 runs at 54.49, which included 19 centuries and 20 fifties. New Zealand’s Kane Williamson had an even better average, accumulating 2,897 runs at 64.37. As for Australia’s Steve Smith, the fourth and final member of the ‘Fab Four’ discussed here, he wasn’t as successful as Root or Williamson, collecting 2,835 runs at 43.61 during this period, but was a lot better than Kohli.

The 37-year-old certainly is the standout batter of his generation when taking all formats into account and one of the greatest in Indian cricket history – which is a massive statement in itself. However, past glory doesn’t and shouldn’t guarantee a player a place in the national team for eternity.

And though he did score three centuries towards the end of his career, including an unbeaten 100 in Perth at the start of what would prove to be his final series in whites, the barren gaps between those tons and other noteworthy knocks proved too worrisome for the Indian team management to ignore.

While he began the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy on a triumphant note in Perth, the manner in which he fell victim to the off-side trap for the remainder of the tour was a sad sight indeed, as if the ghosts of England 2014 came back to haunt him one last time.

Why Kohli's numbers couldn't have been ignored for long

One of the factors that makes Australia such a successful cricketing nation is its no-nonsense approach when it comes to selection matters, and how even the biggest of icons are sometimes shown the door regardless of their stature.

Indian cricket culture isn’t quite the same as that in Australia, England or other nations such as South Africa and New Zealand, with hero worship and star culture being a core trait in this part of the world. India, however, cannot afford to ignore Kohli-like cases for too long if it is to be treated seriously as a cricketing nation and build a legacy like that of the Aussies.

If the head coach and the chief selector had indeed served an ultimatum to Kohli ahead of the tour of England last year, it might not have been as controversial a step as it was made to be, keeping the bigger picture in mind.