Mount Maunganui [New Zealand], November 15 (ANI): Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli's seven-year wait for a century in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia (SENA) conditions continued as the 38-year-old registered his third successive single-digit score against New Zealand at Bay Oval on Sunday, sinking to an 11-year low. 

After a quickfire 51-ball 74 in the first ODI while chasing 143 runs in a rain-hit game, Virat followed it with scores of just seven in the second ODI and a four-ball duck at Mount Maunganui in the fourth ODI, getting his stumps rattled by a Matt Henry nip-backer.

With the fans awaiting a big knock from him in an important fifth ODI, Virat put on a dissappointing show, going for just five runs in seven balls while attempting a lavish slash against Matthew Fisher, but getting caught behind by Tim Seifert. 

Despite registering just 86 runs across four innings at an average of 21.50, Virat ended up as India's highest run-scorer in this bowler-dominated series. It only marked the fourth time Virat registered three single-digit scores in an ODI series/event: the 2011 Cricket World Cup, the Pakistan tour of India 2012/13, the 2014/15 tri-nation in Australia featuring England as the other instances. 

Virat still remains a strong ODI force, having smashed 638 runs in 14 matches and 13 innings this year at an average of 53.16, with two centuries and four fifties, including a best score of 139* and a strike rate of 118.60. However, his runs at home and in SENA conditions are two different stories. 

At six innings at home this year, he has made 408 runs at an average of 81.60, with a strike rate of 121.42, with two centuries, a fifty and a best score of 139*. 

In SENA this year, he has managed just 230 runs in seven innings, with his average dropping to 32.85, his strike rate at 114.42, and him scoring just six fifties. Other than his fifties, his other scores have been single-digit. 

For Virat, this is not a new pattern, as despite his largely consistent form in ODIs, Virat has not hit a century in SENA conditions since 2019, last making a century against Australia at Adelaide. Post 2019, Virat has scored 701 runs in 22 matches and 21 innings at an average of 35.05, with a strike rate of 89.98, with nine fifties. While nine fifties in 21 innings is not a bad run, he has managed scores below 20 in all other innings, including four ducks, and overall, eight single-digit scores are a worrying sign heading into the 2027 World Cup co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. 

His numbers do get slightly better when including other overseas nations in his post-2019 ODI run, scoring 1,233 runs in 39 matches and 35 innings at an average of 38.53, with three centuries and 10 fifties, with a best score of 122*. 

In the same time period, Virat has managed 2,253 runs in 41 ODIs at home at an average of 67.22 and a strike rate of over 102, with nine centuries and 15 fifties, with a best score of 166*. 

Fine bowling spells from Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher and skipper Mitchell Santner never really let the Indian batters settle despite some starts, with the visitors skittled out for 209 runs in 42.1 overs in the final ODI against New Zealand at Bay Oval on Sunday. Ishan Kishan (46 in 58 balls, with three fours and two sixes), Axar Patel (46 in 55 balls, with five fours and a six) and skipper Shreyas Iyer (22 in 26 balls, with three fours) did get some fine starts and put up promising partnerships after Rohit Sharma (7) and Virat (5) were back in the hut early, but Duffy (3/60), Santner (3/47) and Fisher (2/28) did not let India settle and broke partnerships just when they seemed to pick up. (ANI)