Brutal Virat Kohli reality exposed after first Test shocker

Indian captain Virat Kohli’s shortened trip to Australia failed to yield the results he would have liked, both personally and for the Indian team.

A shock loss in the first Test, made even worse by a disastrous second innings for himself personally, means Kohli heads back to India for the birth of his first child in the wake of one of his least impressive years with the bat.

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For the first time since making his international debut in 2008, Kohli failed to register a century in any form of the game.

The Indian captain batted in three Tests, nine ODIs and 10 T20 matches without reaching triple figures, just the second time in his career, and the first since his debut year, that he has failed to make triple-figures in an innings.

While the coronavirus pandemic meant he had drastically fewer chances to enjoy a big innings, Kohli only mustered one fifty in six Test innings - highlighting the champion batsman’s struggles.

The ignominious statistic is no doubt compounded by his chance at a breakthrough hundred being wasted, after teammate Ajinkya Rahane burned him while running between wickets in the first innings of the first Test in Adelaide, where he was run-out despite being on his way to a century.

Kohli will return home for the birth of his first child after India were bowled out for 36 in their second innings - their lowest-ever Test innings.

"It's very hard to find words to express how everyone is feeling in the changerooms ... it really hurts," Kohli said.

"The ball didn't do much ... everything just happened so quickly that no-one could make any sense of it.

"We lacked intent. The way we batted allowed them to look more potent than they probably were."

Kohli warns of Indian complacency after first Test shock

Kohli warned about over-reacting to the Adelaide disaster but implored his teammates to show spirit in his absence.

"A few of the guys are going to realise their true characters and how they can step up for the team," he said.

"So I am very, very confident that we will definitely learn from this.

"I don't think we have had a worse batting performance so we can only go upwards from here and understand as a team we can do special things when we think of partnerships and batting together.

"So I am very, very confident that we will bounce back strongly in the next one.

"And I have no doubts at all of that and you will see guys stepping up and really realising their true character."

With AAP

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