Former India's star all-rounder Irfan Pathan lashed out at Virat Kohli's performance in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the MCG, which Rohit Sharma's men ended up losing by 184 runs on December 30. Pathan said that Kohli talks about discipline but he didn't show it in the MCG Test during India's crucial chase on Day 5 of the fourth Test against Australia.
Kohli's dismissal early in the innings, after scoring just five runs off 29 balls, further added to his batting woes. Pathan went on to say that Kohli's string of low scores is gradually lowering expectations, not only from himself but also from his dedicated fanbase. Following his unbeaten century in Perth, Kohli failed to fire with the bat. He notched 7 and 11 run in Adelaide), 3 in Brisbane, and 36 and 5 in Melbourne Test. The batting juggernaut had a horrific year with the bat as could only amass 419 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 24.52, including one hundred a half- century in 2024.
Irfan Pathan slams Virat Kohli
Meanwhile, while speaking on Star Sports, Pathan attributed Kohli's dismissal to a lack of discipline.
"Virat Kohli talks about discipline himself but he didn't show discipline there. Talking about it on one side and taking it into the ground on the other. This is not about today but for many years. It's about leaving the temptation," Pathan said.
"You are bringing your own and the fans' expectations down. Even if you ask a domestic Indian cricketer what should you bowl against Virat, he will also say that he will come and bowl outside the off-stump and try to get him out," the 2011 World Cup-winner further stated.
Kohli's dismissal in the Melbourne Test was another display of his recurring pattern which has been haunting him for quite a long time. Unable to resist the urge to play the cover drive, he edged a delivery from Mitchell Starc that angled across him, resulting in a catch at first slip.
Pathan also slammed the way Kohli got dismissed. He advised Kohli to keep in mind about the the line he is playing the shot.
"What line was it? It was a sixth or seventh stump line. Mitchell Starc's ball was overpitched but it was way outside the off-stump. The length was a temptation to play the drive, but he could have left it based on line. You also need to keep in mind when you are playing that shot. It was just before lunch and two wickets had fallen. You just had to play carefully there. They bowled one full ball and invited you to lose your wicket and you accepted that," Pathan concluded.
Kohli will have one more chance to redeem himself in Sydney which will host the fifth and final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from January 3.