"Dropping out of Test cricket gives him a focus point" - Former CSK bowling coach's huge claim on Virat Kohli's future post AUS vs IND 2025 series

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowling coach Andy Bichel opined on star Indian batter Virat Kohli's future after the series against Australia. The Men in Blue recently played a three-match ODI series Down Under.

Virat Kohli did not have a great start to the series. He was dismissed for consecutive ducks in the first two ODIs. However, he bounced back with an unbeaten match-winning half-century in the final game. He scored 74* off 81 balls with seven boundaries.

In an interview with the Times of India, Andy Bichel was asked whether Kohli would feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup. There have been question marks over his spot in the side for the mega event. The veteran batter may not be a guaranteed starter.

However, Bichel believed that he could play the tournament if he continued to score runs. He reckoned that quitting Test cricket allowed Kohli to focus more on the 50-over format.

"I think for someone like Virat he is very fit. He's going along really well. Obviously, he still wants to play the IPL. RCB won it last year so he's keen to go back-to-back there and do that. I guess dropping out of Test cricket gives him a focus point, to focus on his 50-over cricket. If he's scoring well and giving it to the team, like he has been, then you can't fault him for that. His currency is runs. He just needs to go out there and keep scoring and if he is, he can make the 2027 World Cup," he said.

Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket after the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). He played a key role for India in the 2025 Champions Trophy and also for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2025. The right-hander was vital to victories for India and RCB in both tournaments.

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Virat Kohli reminds Andy Bichel of legendary Australian captain

In the same interview, Andy Bichel stated that Virat Kohli reminded him of legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting. He reckoned that Kohli batted the same way as Ponting used to and also displayed similar energy on the field.

"Virat Kohli is an absolute legend of the game. He always reminds of Ricky Ponting. Ricky played the same game, a very good batter. Virat is one of those players who really took the game on, really energetic and great to watch. Same as Ricky," he said.

Kohli has played 305 ODIs so far. He has amassed 14255 runs at an average of 57.71 with 51 hundreds and 75 half-centuries. Meanwhile, Ponting played 375 ODIs. He piled on 13704 runs at an average of 42.03 with 30 hundreds and 82 fifties.

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Edited by Rishab Vm