India urged to drop Virat Kohli for England tour following Australia struggles
India urged to drop Virat Kohli for England tour following Australia struggles
Share:
India have been urged to drop superstar batter Virat Kohli for their upcoming tour of England following his struggles in Australia. Kohli, one of the best players of his generation, has suffered a significant dip in form in recent years and continued to struggle during the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
![[3rd Test Day Two - England v India]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-1338835409.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The 36-year-old scored his 30th Test century in the series opener in Perth as India thrashed Australia to take an early lead, but contributed just 85 runs in his next seven innings. Kohli looked vulnerable outside the off stump, repeatedly nicking off as Australia mounted an impressive comeback to win the series 3-1 and book their place in this summer’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s.
![[Australia v India - Men's 5th Test Match: Day 2]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-2192357765.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594)
India will also be in England in 2025 as they face Ben Stokes’ side in a five-match Test series, but it remains to be seen whether Kohli is part of the touring party. Kohli averaged less than 25 across 10 Tests in 2024 and has only scored three hundreds since the start of 2020.
![[Australia v India - Men's 5th Test Match: Day 2]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-2192347326.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Discussing Kohli’s drop-off, ex-England cricketer and coach David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd told talkSPORT: ‘Virat Kohli is 36. I was 36 when I retired but there’s a bit of difference between the ability of Virat Kohli and me. ‘He will know he is past his best and that will hurt. I knew, I wanted to finish earlier but was persuaded to keep playing county cricket.
‘He knows what he should be doing up there [in his mind] but you’re reflexes just gently go. Most players hang on and perhaps go on too long. ‘Has he got enough credit in the bank? He’s been world-class, one of the best we’ve seen, but he’s past his best.
