Once revered for his refusal to budge from the crease through unmatched skill and sheer willpower, Virat Kohli touches down in Australia amidst a form slump that has left fans questioning whether he’s lost his competitive edge.

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The 36-year-old has averaged 20.62 across his ten most recent Test innings, with uncharacteristic dismissals during the recent home series against New Zealand suggesting the mental side of his game was on the decline.

After being bowled by a low full toss from spinner Mitchell Santner in Pune, Kohli ran himself out at Wankhede Stadium after attempting a suicidal single on the final over of the day. During his prime, he would have never thrown his wicket away in such wasteful fashion.

The right-hander’s Test numbers have been on the decline since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic; he has averaged 31.68 since 2020, while that figure dips to 27.83 when excluding draws. His failure to contribute to wins during that period is even more concerning, not scoring a century in a Test victory for over five years.

Any other player in the Indian team would have been dropped following such a slump – just ask Ajinkya Rahane.

Virat Kohli’s Test batting average by year

2020 – 19.33

2021 – 28.21

2022 – 26.50

2023 – 55.91

2024 – 22.27

Kohli’s mediocrity hasn’t gone unnoticed – national coach Gautam Gambhir bristled at remarks from former opponent Ricky Ponting, who did nothing more than acknowledge the Indian No. 4’s dwindling returns.

For the first time since December 2014, Kohli finds himself outside the top 20 on the ICC Test batting rankings, but the Border-Gavaskar Trophy serves as an opportunity for him to rejuvenate his faltering Test career.

Playing in Australia has always unlocked the best in Kohli – with 1352 Test runs at 54.08, including six hundreds; no Indian player boasts more runs on Australian soil than him.

“He’s got a great record in Australia, he loves the conditions. I think he’s a better player of pace than spin,” former Australian batter Mark Waugh told Fox Cricket.

“He’s had a lean trot though, by his standards, and his average has dropped a lot.

“Maybe Perth’s a good starting place for him, because he made that brilliant hundred on a very, very tricky pitch (in 2018). It’s always good when you’ve got good memories at certain grounds.

“He’ll be under less pressure being in Australia than India. It’s so encompassing, playing in India on your home soil. It’ll be a fresh start for him, this series.”

Ten years ago, following a disappointing Test tour of England where he averaged 13.40 across five matches, Kohli touched down in Australia feeling some pressure to perform and silence his critics.

He responded by cracking four hundreds in four matches during the 2014/15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, compiling a record-breaking 692 runs at 86.50.

A decade later, ahead of what’s almost certainly his final Test tour of Australia, Kohli will be hoping history repeats itself with another redemption arc.

His defenders will claim that form is temporary and class is permanent. Kohli has five matches to prove them right.

“The Australians would still see him as a big wicket,” Waugh continued.

“They know what he’s capable of, and his record in Australia is so good, and he loves the big stage.

“India have beaten us the last four series, so I think it’ll bring the best out of Kohli. Whether he’s good enough and technically good enough to make runs is a different story.”

How does Australia’s bowling cartel go about silencing Kohli? As revealed by CricViz, he’s averaged 20 against good length deliveries from seam bowlers across the last five years, noticeably less than 44 from before 2020.

Meanwhile, Australian captain Pat Cummins has successfully tamed Kohli since they first locked horns in 2017, removing the former Indian skipper five times at an average of 19.20.

However, Kohli’s recent woes shouldn’t be attributed to any physical factors – according to CricViz, he has averaged 124 when facing deliveries faster than 140km/h over the last five years, so ageing eyes and slower reflexes aren’t to blame.

Champion bowler Brett Lee feels confident Kohli will produce his best again in Australia this summer, which spells trouble for the hosts.

“He’s got an Australian mentality, a never-say-die attitude. He doesn’t mind getting into a scrap. He doesn’t mind having a crack,” Lee told Fox Cricket.

“There has been a lot of conjecture around his form recently, but I’m not worried about that. I know with Kohli, he’s got the experience underneath his belt.

“He may have only got 90 runs in the three-Test series against the Kiwis, but who cares? When he comes out here, he has a great record in Australia.”

Virat Kohli vs Australian bowlers in Tests

Pat Cummins – five wickets at 19.20

Josh Hazlewood – three wickets at 55.67

Mitchell Starc – four wickets at 59.00

Nathan Lyon – seven wickets at 75.60

Even when he first touched down in Australia for the 2011/12, Kohli embraced the nation’s cricket culture, never shying away from a heated exchange or backing down from a fight.

According to former coach Ravi Shastri, his ruthless competitiveness is the reason he has performed so well against Australia. It’s also how he’s earned the opposition’s respect.

“Australians, the fans, they love their cricket,” Shastri told Fox Cricket.

“They love if someone plays it hard, but fair. You don’t give an inch. You don’t expect anything. Play tough. And that’s what Virat does.”

Speaking to Fox Cricket, former English captain Michael Vaughan declared that aside from Kohli’s brilliance at the crease, the trait he most admired was his refusal to take a backward step against the Aussies.

“It’s the only way to play Australia,” Vaughan said.

“I look at all the England players that have got that get-up-and-at-them mentality, and having a pop at Australia. Ian Botham, Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad, all the kind of aggressive players that England have had who have always had success against Australia, and Virat is in that same bracket.

“That’s interesting to me, just to see if the rest of the Indian side, now he’s not the captain here in Australia, how they can get that aggressive culture out in the middle, which you require. You don’t win here without it.”

Kohli won’t just be fighting to keep his Test career alive this summer; there are also precious World Test Championship points on the line.

India is anything but certain to qualify for next year’s WTC final at Lord’s following last month’s Kiwi whitewash, which created an intriguing five-nation race for the decider.

Kohli is a World Cup champion, an Under-19 World Cup champion and a T20 World Cup champion, also winning a Champions Trophy title – but he’s never lifted the WTC mace after two attempts. It’s the one piece of silverware missing from his trophy cabinet, and he probably won’t get another chance to win a World Test Championship title beyond 2025.

The first Test between Australia and Australia gets underway at Perth Stadium on Friday at 1.20pm AEDT.