Virat Kohli has an uncanny knack for making news regardless of the reasons. Be it his steel resolve to score runs at tough junctures or his underperformance in times of need, Virat has been in the headlines more often than not.
This time around, the cricketer has landed himself in a soup he could have clearly avoided. While the entire team is slogging it out for the upcoming tour of Australia, Virat has been conspicuous with his absence at training sessions.
Instead, he was seen celebrating Christmas with his actress girl friend Anushka Sharma and is now headed to an undisclosed location, probably to ring in the New Year with his lady love. The duo was also spotted about a week ago on December 20, attending the finals of the Indian Super League together.
While there is no reason to question people for what they do in their personal lives, it is the timing of this jaunt that has raised many an eyebrow. Not only has he chosen to skip the team's practice sessions, he has also decided to give the domestic Vijay Hazare tournament a miss - at a time when his team Delhi has reached the finals of the tournament.
Moreover, the year 2015 has been nothing special for Virat. His batting average through the year stood at an abysmally low 36.64 as compared to his career average of 50.
Most importantly, he has been found wanting in terms of scoring big runs – something that is expected of him and should come to him naturally. Instead of trying to regain his confidence by training with his team, he has chosen to holiday with his girl friend - something that has left him at the receiving end on more than one occasion.
India begin their five-match One-Day International series against Australia with the first game in Perth on January 12. After the completion of the ODI series, the action shifts to a three-match T20 International series starting on January 26 in Adelaide.
Out of the 43 ODIs Australia have played India at home, they have won 31 matches while losing just the 10 games between 1980 and 2015.
The most recent bilateral ODI series between the two teams was in 2013 when India hosted Australia and beat them 3-2 in a seven-match campaign.
