The great Virat Kohli is set to embark upon his fifth trip of Australia later this year when India tour Down Under for a taxing five-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Indian batting stalwart loves playing against Australia as his statistics of 2042 runs from 25 Tests at an average of 47.49 reflect. This is the most Kohli has scored against any Test-playing nation, with his second-best performance coming against England – 1991 runs from 28 Tests at 42.36. The last two times Kohli toured Australia, India emerged victorious in both. In 2018/19, Kohli led India to their first-ever Test series win in Australia and although he had to return home after playing just one game in the 2020/21 series, Ajinkya Rahane stepped in brilliantly to take India to a famous win.

Three years later, things are different. Kohli is no longer the captain, and Rahane is not part of the Indian Test team. Rohit Sharma has taken over the reins and has a shot at immortality – lead India to a hat-trick of series win in Australia, which up until a decade ago, would have qualified as nothing more than sarcasm. Kohli's love affair with Australia began 13 years ago, when on his first series Down Under, he scored a maiden Test century. Over the next 21 Tests, he took his tally of centuries against the Aussies up by seven, including a once-in-a-lifetime twin tons in Adelaide, and in the process, formed a love-hate relationship with the Australian crowd.

Could this be Kohli's last Test tour of Australia? He is 35, so perhaps not. But irrespective of whether this is his swansong, former Aussie great Geoff Lawson reckons Kohli can expect a mixed reaction from the crowd. So what if he's stepped down as India captain? The fire still burns within Kohli. In 2012, a brash Kohli had flipped the crowd in a sight never to be forgotten by Australia, and over the years, his hot-and-cold relationship with the audience has only added more layers to it.

"Virat Kohli will play the faux villain to Jasprit Bumrah's likeable nature. Bumrah has the fast bowlers privilege of [spending] half a life at fine leg which gives him the ideal chance to interact with the crowd, winning smiles and hearts while Kohli will lurk in the infield appealing vociferously, fielding magnificently and engaging verbally with any Australian player so inclined to conversation, and there will be one or two of those," Lawson told Mid-day.

"Aussie crowds love a competitor like Kohli, they may give him some grief if he plays the antagonist but you can guarantee that if he makes 50s and 100s he will be loudly applauded by the fans. He has shown a liking for Australian conditions ever since his first tour 13 years ago. Bounce and pace suited his two-footed game but the question in 2024 is whether he still has the razor sharpness to best Australia’s attack on their home surfaces. I wouldn't count him out."

Is the BGT finally coming back to Australia?

Despite Australia's superior head-to-head Test record against India, the series between these two teams have mostly been evenly-contested, barring the 2011/12 series. In fact, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, named after cricketing legends of both nations, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border, has been with India since 2017, when they snatched it from Australia following a 2-1 win at home. Since then, India and Australia have played each other in three different Tests series, but the result has always been the same. However, Lawson believes the BGT has been on Indian shores for far too long and wants the trophy back home this time round.

"Pat Cummins may smile a lot but his competitiveness is ingrained and powerful. Having hinted at a never faltering mindset, some Australian players have been quoted as having unfinished business. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been loaned to the BCCI for a decade, it's time to get it back on the trophy shelves in Jolimont [Cricket Australia's headquarters in Victoria]. Australia may hold the World Test Championship but without a home series win against India, the crown sits unsteadily," added Lawson, who played 46 Tests and 79 ODIs for Australia between 1980 and 1989.