India vs Australia: How Virat Kohli fares against Nathan Lyon
India are gearing up to take on Australia in the all-important four-match Border-Gavaskar series, starting February 9. Stakes are incredibly high as India need at least a 2-0 win to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship final. Star batter Virat Kohli would be instrumental to India's success. Meanwhile, Australia's Nathan Lyon would be raring to block his path. Here are the key stats.
Joint-most dismissals against Kohli in Tests
Lyon has dismissed Kohli the joint-most number of times (7) in Test cricket, with James Anderson. The former, however, has the most dismissals against Kohli among spinners. Besides, Kohli has racked up 410 runs off 782 balls against Lyon in the format. The Indian batter has a strike rate of 52.4 against Lyon. The tally includes as many as 514 dot balls.
Lyon has dismissed Kohli four times in India
Kohli has scored just 93 runs off 161 balls against Lyon in Test cricket in India. Lyon has uprooted Kohli four times in the nation. The tally includes as many as 105 dot balls. Kohli averages 23.2 against Lyon in Tests at home.
Spinners have dismissed Kohli 56 times
Kohli has fallen to spinners 56 times in Test cricket. The Indian batter averages 60.87 against spinners, having slammed 3,409 runs off 5,847 balls. Out of these, Kohli has blocked 3,735 balls. Since January 2021, spinners have dismissed Kohli 15 times in Tests.
His numbers against Australia
Kohli has certainly enjoyed playing against the Aussies, and his numbers depict the same. He has racked up 1,682 runs in 20 Tests against them at an impressive average of 48.05. The tally includes seven tons and five fifties, with his highest score being 169. Among Indian batters, only legends Sachin Tendulkar (11) and Sunil Gavaskar (8) own more Test tons against Australia.
Will Kohli end his century drought?
Kohli smashed his last Test century versus Bangladesh back in November 2019. Since then, he has hit six fifties with the best score of 79. Kohli has managed 917 runs across 36 innings, averaging a mere 26.2 in this period. At home, he has managed scores of 11, 72, 0, 62, 27, 0, 0, 36, 45, 23, and 13 (289 runs at 26.27).
Lyon has over 450 Test wickets
Last year, Lyon became just the second off-spinner after legend Muttiah Muralitharan to have entered the 450-wicket club in Test cricket. He achieved the feat during the Adelaide Test against the West Indies. Overall, Lyon is the eighth-highest wicket-taker in the format with 460 scalps from 115 matches. He had the joint-most Test wickets in 2022 with Kagiso Rabada (47).
