Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting feels Virat Kohli’s form should not be doubted ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024/25. The five-match test series will pit India against Australia from November 22 until January 7.
Kohli’s form has been a worrying sign for the Indian team in the recent months. After playing a match-winning knock in the T20 World Cup final, he garnered only 58 runs in three ODIs against Sri Lanka.
Although, the Bangladesh test series saw India secure a 2-0 cleansweep, Kohli returned with scores of 6, 17, 47 & 29*. Then, the New Zealand side secured a 3-0 whitewash against India, as Kohli failed completely to pose a strong challenge. The right-hander garnered only 93 runs in six innings, resulting in his detractors questioning his presence in the test setup.
However, Ponting expressed confidence in Virat Kohli faring well in Australia. As per him, the 36-year-old could do a major turnaround Down Under to help the Indian team prevail in tough conditions.
“I’ve said it before about Virat — you don’t ever question the greats of the game. There’s no doubt he’s a great of the game,” Ponting told ICC.
“He loves playing against Australia. In fact, I know he loves playing against Australia. And his record (in Australia) is very good. If there’s a time for him to turn it around, it’d be this series. So, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Virat make runs in the first game,” he added.
Virat Kohli is the highest-scorer among the touring party in Border Gavaskar history. He has amassed 1,979 runs in 24 games at an average of 48.26, with eight centuries. His form will be crucial, as India needs to win most of the games in the series to qualify for the WTC final.
Astrologer predicts Virat Kohli will have a ‘brilliant’ BGT
Astrologer Greenstone Lobo recently analyzed the horoscope of Virat Kohli in the first episode of TOI’s StarPlay: Cricket & Astrology. He predicted that the star batter will play for India at least till 2027.
“So, for all the Virat Kohli fans out there, let me tell you one thing. Let me assure you one thing. Virat Kohli is going to be there at least till 2027,” he said.
Further, Lobo also shared his take on Kohli’s form in BGT 2024/25. According to him, the right-hander will be contributing handsomely for the team due to favorable planetary positions.
“He is going to perform brilliantly well because Uranus, which has gone debilitated in the last few months is going to come back into exaltation exactly on November 15th and it’s going to stay there throughout this entire tournament. One important thing I can say (for now) is that Down Under Virat Kohli is definitely going to play some very interesting roles,” he added.
