Former batsman VVS Laxman on Monday said Virat Kohli’s poor show with the bat was the biggest letdown for the Indian team in the two-Test series against New Zealand which the hosts won on Monday.
Kohli managed just 38 runs in four innings with a highest score of 19 and also suffered his first Test series whitewash as captain as New Zealand won the match in Christchurch by 7 wickets in two and a half days at the Hagley Oval Stadium.
Kohli had also struggled to fire with the bat in the limited-overs series, managing just one half-century in 8 innings. In total he scored 218 runs from 11 innings on this tour with 51 being his highest score.
His tally of 218 is the lowest he has managed on a tour where he has played all 3 formats of the sport. His last hundred in an overseas Test match came against Australia in Perth in December, 2018.
“The biggest talking point on this tour right from the one-day series to these two Test matches has been the form of two very important players – Virat Kohli in the batting department and Jasprit Bumrah in the bowling department,” Laxman said in the post-match show on Star Sports.
“Virat Kohli’s form has definitely been the biggest letdown for the Indian team because when your top batsman, probably the best in the world, averages 9 (9.50 to be precise) in the two Test matches, I think it is going to be tough for the visiting side. They didn’t show any fight in the Tests,” Laxman added.
On monday, chasing a paltry 132-run-target, New Zealand openers Tom Latham (52) and Tom Blundell (55) made light work of the chase to guide the side to an easy win over the hapless visitors. The two also registered the highest opening-stand at Hagley Oval, Christchurch in the fourth innings. The defeat not only became India’s second on the trot in terms of wickets, but they also lost vital points in the ICC Test Championship points table. While India continue to hold the numero uno position, with the next assignment in whites coming at the end of the year in Australia, New Zealand made giant strides to occupy the third spot with a total of 180 points up their sleeves.
