Virat Kohli's poor run in 2024 continues; average drops below 20 after notable decline in form

Virat Kohli struggled to make an impact on his return to Test cricket as he was dismissed for six runs in the first innings of the Test match against Bangladesh in Chennai on Thursday. Kohli has scored just 302 runs in 16 overall international innings in 2024.

Virat Kohli failed to make a mark on his return to Test cricket after poor innings on Day 1 of India's ongoing Test match against Bangladesh in Chennai on Thursday. The veteran cricketer scored just six runs before losing his wicket to Hasn Mahmud at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

The star cricketer missed India's last Test series against England due to personal reasons and was among the few big names to skip the Duleep Trophy 2024 fixtures. Kohli's form in red-ball cricket has been a concern for the management but the former captain has also struggled for form in white-ball cricket in 2024.

Kohli played a memorable knock to clinch the Player of the Match award in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final in June but that was his only fifty-plus score this year. After making a sensational comeback to form in 2023, the legendary cricketer seems to be on a path to another dry spell with runs. 

After scoring just six runs on his Test return, Kohli's batting average dropped below 20 in international cricket in 2024. He has scored just one fifty across 16 overall innings this year with a concerning average of 18.87 so far. His highest score of 76 came against South Africa in the T20 World Cup final where he announced a retirement from T20Is.

Notably, Kohli scored sensational 2048 runs in just 36 innings at the highest average of 66.06 in 2023 but has witnessed a sharp decline in his form in 2024. 

Virat Kohli's numbers in 2024 (International Cricket)

In Tests in 2024, Kohli has scored 64 runs in three innings but will look to improve his numbers with India set to play a combined eight matches against New Zealand and Australia after the Bangladesh series.