When Virat Kohli is in the team, it’s hard to imagine seeing low scores, as this batter knows how to rescue the team. But believe it or not, it has happened that the team registered extremely poor scores despite Kohli being in the mix. Apart from his individual brilliance, there have been times when the team has let him down with the total runs—not just once or twice, but three.
In the recent game against New Zealand, we witnessed a not-so-good day for Indian cricket, with five Indian batters getting out for ducks. As a result, India recorded their third-lowest Test score of 46, despite having big names, including India’s run machine, Virat Kohli. This Indian chase master has seen similar situations in the past, both for India and in the IPL. Let’s revisit a few poor scores registered by teams despite having a big name like Virat Kohli in the camp.
3 times when Virat Kohli was part of lowest team totals
India vs Australia 1st Test, Adelaide
Credits- ESPNcricinfo
When we talk about poor scores, one of the most extreme lows for Indian cricket came just four years ago during the pinnacle Test series, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. At that time, Kohli was leading the team and had already achieved significant success, winning the series in BGT 2018. However, the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, especially the first Test, turned out to be a shocking moment. India had posted a decent score of 244 in the first innings, with Kohli himself scoring 74. But the second innings became a watershed moment when the Indian Test team was bundled out for just 36 runs, which remains India’s lowest total in Test cricket. Interestingly, India made a remarkable comeback, winning the series 2-1, which was a golden time, although King Kohli had to fly back to India to see his newborn daughter.
KKR vs RCB, IPL 2017
Credits – ESPNcricinfo
Already mentioned, not only for Team India, but Virat Kohli has also experienced another tragic score of 49 runs, which is the lowest score in IPL history. This came for RCB in IPL 2017, who at that point had star players like Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. However, the players fell like bowling pins, one after another. In a total of just 9.4 overs, the Bengaluru franchise batted and left their fans utterly disappointed. At that time as well, Virat Kohli was the captain.
IND vs NZ 1st test, Bengaluru
And now the fresh match currently making waves is the India vs New Zealand 1st Test match in Bengaluru. Although not a leader of this team, But Virat Kohli can surely experience the same heat he has felt in the past. In challenging batting conditions when Rohit Sharma decided to bat first, the cloudy weather aided the Kiwi bowlers, and they capitalized on it well. From Matt Henry to William O’Rorke, each bowler did magic with SG ball. India’s five batters made ducks, which was shocking, and ultimately, India got bundled out for 46 runs, marking their lowest total in Test cricket at home.
