Virat Kohli has been under the scanner since his below-par displays in the recent Bangladesh Tests. In 2024, Kohli has only featured in three Tests, but hasn't got a fifty-plus score yet. In the Bangladesh series, Kohli registered 6, 17, 47 and 29* in four innings.

The former India captain will look to bounce back to form in the upcoming New Zealand Tests. Speaking during a press conference, head coach Gautam Gambhir backed Kohli, and made a massive prediction.

"My thoughts about Virat has always been very clear, that he is a world-class cricketer, he has performed for such a long period of time. He is as hungry as when he made his debut. I remember opening the batting with him when he made his debut in Sri Lanka, to now his hunger is always there and is already there. That is what makes him a world-class cricketer and I am sure that he will be hungry to get runs in the series and moving forward to Australia as well," he said.

"We know that once he gets into that run-scoring, how consistent can he be. So I am sure he will be looking for these three Test matches and the series in Australia," he further added.

Virat Kohli's numbers vs New Zealand

Against New Zealand, Kohli has slammed 866 runs from 11 Tests at 45.57, packed with three tons and as many half-centuries. He is also closing in on 9,000 runs in the format, and is set to become the fourth Indian batter to reach the milestone in Test cricket. He also has 557 runs from six Tests at an average of 55.70 against New Zealand at home, including two centuries and as many fifties. He is only behind Rahul Dravid (1659), Sachin Tendulkar (1595), Virender Sehwag (883) and Cheteshwar Pujara (867).

During the press conference, Gambhir also made a huge prediction for cricket in general.

"This is the age of the bowlers. Batters only set up the matches. It’s very important for our batsman-obsessed attitude to end. If the batters make 1000 runs, there’s still no guarantee that the team will win a Test match but if a bowler takes 20 wickets, there’s a 99% guarantee that we’ll win the match. Be it Test matches or any other formats, bowlers win you tournaments. So I hope this era or the upcoming ones, we’ll talk more about bowlers than batters. And I hope the mindset changes over time," he said.

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