IND vs SA: Is Virat’s next Test peak on the way?

One more trip to South Africa, one more dashed hope for Team India to cross the Last Frontier. India batsman Virat Kohli was a major highlight of the two-match series, even though it ended in a 1-1 draw. Virat is officially back in the whites. Virat fought for every run and boundary, even though the batter scored runs in all of the previous Test matches, especially the tour to the West Indies. This immortal, godlike record-holder occasionally appeared to be a mortal when batting, losing to the ball. This time, Virat appeared more majestic than he had in years while batting in Proteas’ domain.

The batter played with a new and aggressive intent, finding gaps at will while every other batter struggled for runs and boundaries throughout the series. The most notable instance occurred during Centurion’s initial Test. As Team India attempted to rally from a 163-run deficit in the first innings, they fell apart like a pack of cards, but Virat appeared to be playing on a different pitch as he made his shots freely. At a strike rate of 92.68, he scored 76 in 82 balls with 12 fours and a six. With five fours and a strike rate of more than 59, he scored 38 runs in 64 balls during the opening innings.

Virat scored 46 in 59 balls with six fours and a six at a strike percentage of 77.59 in the second Test. Fans, however, were unable to witness Virat’s true comeback as India lost from 153/4 to 153 all out. Virat was dismissed for 12 in 11 balls with two fours at a strike rate of over 109 while needing to score 79 to win. Virat scored 172 runs in four innings at an average of 43.00, including a half-century, to finish the series as India’s highest run scorer and the second-highest run scorer overall. Among all Indian batters, he scored at the highest strike rate of 79.62.

Virat was India’s lone warrior in the 2018 tour, scoring 286 runs at an average of 47.66 in three matches, including a century and a fifty, as the team lost the 2-1 series. His highest rating was 153. All-rounder Hardik Pandya was India’s next best batsman, scoring 119 runs at an average of 19.83 in six innings, with 93 of those runs coming in a single inning.

Virat scored 161 runs in four innings at an average of over 40 in the 2021–22 series against the Proteas, with a career-best four-inning score of 79. Above him were KL Rahul (226 runs in six innings at an average of 37.66, with a half-century and a knock of 123 as his best performances) and Rishabh Pant (186 runs in six innings at an average of over 37.20, with 100* as his best score). During the tour, Virat missed one Test match; if he had been present, his statistics might have been different.

Virat has participated in nine Test matches in South Africa, where he has amassed 891 runs at an average of 49.50, including two hundreds and four fifties in 18 innings. His highest rating is 153. Virat has performed admirably not only against strong opposition but also with excellent ball striking. Virat looked very at ease against players who threatened India’s batters with pace and bounce, such as rookie Nandre Burger, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, and Lungi Ngidi. Is Virat likely to reach his next Test peak soon? Time will tell.