36-year-old Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli has been in the headlines recently for his decision to skip the London tour. In India, he wants to have a quiet, relaxed birthday celebration. But the celebration went beyond just sharing a peaceful family meal or cutting a cake.
Kohli is set to take on a unique challenge—revisiting his cricketing form from 12 years ago—a self-imposed test to evaluate his growth as a player. Although there is news that Kohli is going to settle in London with his family, he has decided to celebrate his birthday in his birthplace.
In September, his wife, Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, returned to India, and Kohli began preparing for the five-test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Although New Zealand defeated India 3-0 at the end of the series, it was a big defeat for Kohli, and there could have been no better way to overcome that defeat than to spend a special day like his birthday with his loved ones in the country.
The Unique 12-Year-Old Test
Kohli has decided to celebrate his birthday in a unique way to make it even more special. He intends to push himself by replaying some of his most memorable innings from ten years ago. In what he calls the “12-year Test,” he will face bowlers in conditions that will be more in line with the pitches and atmosphere of the early 2010s.
His evolution, methods, and progress as a cricketer are reflected more deeply in this self-imposed test than in statistics or runs scored. Back in 2012, Kohli was establishing himself as one of the most promising young batsmen in the world. That year, he scored numerous match-winning innings that demonstrated his ability to handle pressure and rise to the occasion.
Now, 12 years later, he’s determined to revisit that era and assess his current skills against the standards of his younger self.
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The idea has excited Kohli’s coach, Rajkumar Sharma, who has been guiding him since his teenage years. “Virat has always carried himself in a certain way. His constant pursuit of progress is reflected in the task he sets for himself.”
Kohli’s Australian Test Series: A Make-or-Break Test
In actuality, Kohli has had a somewhat quiet year in 2024. He has played just 18 internationals, including six Tests, three ODIs, and nine T20Is, scoring a mere 488 runs apart from his stellar IPL performance when he topped the charts and won the Orange Cap. However, the three much-anticipated Test matches against Australia in Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne are crucial.
Apart from helping New Zealand recover from injury and lead India to the World Test Championship final, successful performances in these matches could also bring a change to Kohli’s long-standing and current disappointing playing style.
Kohli’s Career Mirrors 2012: A Second Chance to Prove Himself
It so happened that 13 years after making his Test debut, Kohli is in a situation that reminds him of 2012. Kohli found himself at a turning point in his career after a disappointing 2011 Test season.
Even though he was only 24, he still had prospects in the future, but time was running out. After consecutive poor performances in the first three Tests in the West Indies and Australia, the clamor for his ouster from the team had grown.
But Dhoni, who was the captain at the time, understood that a change was necessary. Legends like VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, and Sachin Tendulkar were nearing the end of their careers, and Kohli was being considered the perfect man to take over. Dhoni allowed the young batsman to finish the series as he had faith in his abilities.
How Young Kohli Defied the Odds
While the more experienced players in the team struggled, Kohli shined in the third Test at Perth’s famous WACA, scoring 44 in the first innings and an even more impressive 75 in the second. Kohli gained a lot of confidence from his innings in Perth.
He carried that confidence into the next match in Adelaide as well—even though it seemed like India had little left to gain, they had already lost the series. But, after scoring his first Test century there, Kohli forged an incredible bond with the Adelaide Oval, and he has since scored 509 runs in four Tests there.
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Ten years on, Indian cricket still stands in the same precarious position. As Sanjay Manjrekar said years ago, Kohli, who is now one of the senior players in the team, is under increasing pressure to maintain his position.
This year, Kohli has scored only two Test half-centuries, the most recent being in January 2024. The experienced members are under stress as new players are breaking down the door. Kohli may have a longer time ahead than captain Rohit Sharma due to his exceptional status at the age of 36, but maintaining consistent form is still of paramount importance.
How Kohli can beat Australia: A tactical analysis
Kohli’s motivation in Australia is likely to be driven by three important factors. First, his impressive Test record against Australia: 2042 runs in 25 matches at an average of 47.49, including eight centuries, five of which came in Australia. Second, with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at stake, Kohli knows this could be his last tour of Australia after missing most of the matches on the last tour.
Finally, the spin-friendly surfaces he has experienced in India are very different from the wickets in Australia. From day one, none of the balls have been spin or rank-turners, so Kohli will be able to play his shots and take advantage of the ball coming on to the bat.
Despite all that he has achieved on his way to becoming an Indian cricket legend, Kohli needs to unleash all his strength, passion, zeal, and above all his signature aggression as the sands of time thaw to show that he still has what it takes.
He used to be a ruthless run machine who loved scoring hundreds. If Kohli returns to his best form in Australia, then India have a strong chance of winning a historic hat-trick of series.