WTC Final: Decoding Virat Kohli's Test record in England
India will meet Australia in the high-voltage ICC World Test Championship 2023 final, starting on June 7 at London's Kennington Oval. Having lost the 2021 WTC final to New Zealand, Rohit Sharma's men will have redemption in mind. Virat Kohli will be critical to India's success as the batter is well-versed with the England conditions. Here we decode his Test record in England.
The forgettable tour of 2014
Kohli's first Test assignment on England soil come in 2014 and it was a forgettable outing for the then-young batter. The out-swinging deliveries constantly troubled him as he could manage 134 runs across 10 innings with his highest score being 39. Veteran pacer James Anderson dismissed him four times on the tour. India lost that series 1-2.
Redemption in 2018
Kohli was India's captain when India toured England for five Tests in 2018. The talismanic batter buried the ghosts of 2014 with some brilliant knocks. While he finished the series with 593 runs, no other batter could even touch the 350-run mark. He smoked three fifties and a couple of tons in the series. India, however, suffered a 1-4 defeat.
How he fared in the 2021 series?
The former Indian skipper blew hot and cold when India toured England in 2021 for a five-match series. The final game of the series was played in 2022. Across nine innings, Kohli could only manage 249 runs at 27.66 with the help of two fifties. While the series was 2-1 in India's favor in 2021, England won the final Test to level the affair.
His outing in the 2021 WTC final
Besides bilateral matches, Kohli's only other Test assignment in England was recorded in 2021, the WTC final versus New Zealand. Kohli managed scores of 44 and 13 in the duel as NZ won by eight wickets. Hence, Kohli's overall tally in England reads 1,033 runs in 16 Tests at 33.32. The tally includes five fifties and a couple of tons.
His numbers against Australia
Meanwhile, Kohli has enjoyed playing against Australia in Tests. The talismanic batter has raced to 1,979 runs in 24 Tests against them at 48.26. He has eight tons and five fifties in this regard. His highest Test score of 186 versus Australia was recorded earlier this year in Ahmedabad. On Australian soil, he has 1,352 Test runs at 54.08.
Kohli's summary in the longest format
Having played 108 Tests, Kohli has raced to 8,416 runs at 48.93. Besides his 28 tons, he also carries as many fifties. The tally includes seven double-centuries. He owns 4,144 runs in 50 home Tests 60.05. He tallies 4,215 runs at 41.73 in away Tests and 57 runs at 28.5 in his only neutral Test match.
