Virat Kohli refuses to learn from his mistake, commentators got no chill: ‘He has turned into a nicking machine’

Virat Kohli once again disappointed as India battled to save the Boxing Day Test against Australia on Day 5 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The star India batter, who had a wonderful record at the MCG before the start of the 4th Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with 316 runs at an average of 52.66 with a highest of 169 10 years ago, was dismissed playing wide outside off stump. Half-heartedly driving at a half-volley on probably the 6th or 7th stump, Kohli edged Mitchell Starc to Usman Khawaja at first slip to be dismissed for five off 29 balls. This is the fifth time in the series that Kohli has been caught behind; basically, all his dismissals thus far.

Kohli, who batted with ample restraint in the first innings, was back falling to his prey called ‘outside off-stump’ for the umpteenth time, landing India in trouble at 33/3 at lunch. Fortunately for the visitors, Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal stood up to the occasion and raised hopes of a draw. Kohli’s dismissal left the internet frustrated. Even former Australia cricketer turned media personality James Brayshaw had enough of Kohli’s repeated failure patterns and called him a ‘nicking machine’.

“GONE! He’s out flashing outside off stump… out of nowhere. It’s been pouched by Khawaja, and the third wicket falls. He has turned into a nicking machine,” he said as India were chasing a daunting target of 340.

Virat Kohli’s forgettable 2024

Kohli’s dismissal brings an end to a miserable 2024 for him. He finishes the year with 417 runs from 19 innings at an average of 24.52, his worst year in Test cricket (minimum of 10 Tests) since the batter’s debut. He has endured worse years before. In 2011, his debut year, Kohli scored 202 runs from 5 Tests. He then tallied 612 runs from 8 Tests in 2019, 265 runs from 6 Tests in 2022 and 116 in 3 matches in 2020. But none more unconvincing than 2024, where, barring a century against Australia in the first Test at Perth, Kohli’s numbers have plummeted.