India’s star batsman, Virat Kohli, is known as “King Kohli” in the cricket world due to his impressive batting skills and career achievements. Kohli earned this “King” title through his remarkable performances and milestones that many young batsmen aspire to achieve early in their careers. However, like any player, Virat has also experienced a downturn in his career. Fans believe his worst form came post-COVID in 2020, 2021, and 2022, but the statistics show that 2024 has been his toughest year so far.
Yes, although Kohli played a match-winning knock in the T20 World Cup final this year, his batting average in 2024 has been lower than in his debut year. Kohli made his debut in 2008, playing only five matches that year and scoring 159 runs with an average of 31.80.
In 2024, Kohli has played 18 matches across all formats, scoring just 483 runs at an average of 21.95. With two months left in the year, he still has five more Test matches to play, where he will aim to improve these figures.
This year, Kohli has yet to score a century. This is only the fourth year in his career — after 2008, 2020, and 2021 — where he hasn’t hit a century. In comparison, during the last ODI World Cup year, he scored eight centuries.
Kohli’s best year, in terms of average, was 2016, when he scored 2,595 runs at an astonishing average of 86.50. Additionally, his averages were 68.73 in 2017, 68.37 in 2018, and 64.60 in 2019.
Virat Kohli’s Batting Average by Year (2008 – 2024)
| Year | Average |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 31.80 |
| 2009 | 54.16 |
| 2010 | 48.61 |
| 2011 | 39.14 |
| 2012 | 53.31 |
| 2013 | 53.13 |
| 2014 | 55.75 |
| 2015 | 38.44 |
| 2016 | 86.50 |
| 2017 | 68.73 |
| 2018 | 68.37 |
| 2019 | 64.60 |
| 2020 | 36.60 |
| 2021 | 37.07 |
| 2022 | 38.51 |
| 2023 | 66.06 |
| 2024 | 21.95 |