Virat Kohli in International Cricket: The Tough Patch

Virat Kohli in International Cricket: The Tough Patch

Virat Kohli in International Cricket

Virat Kohli is one of the greatest batsmen to play the game of cricket. Virat Kohli in international cricket has made many records that have provided recognition to his country. Kohli holds a spectacular record in international cricket. He has a batting average of 49.53 in Test cricket after scoring 8074 in the format. If we look at his ODI stats, they are mind-boggling. Virat Kohli has scored 12,344 runs in ODI cricket with a batting average of 57.68 in the format. He has a scintillating strike rate of 92.83 in the format.

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Virat Kohli has a tremendous batting average of 50.12 in the T20 International format. After batting for 91 innings, he has scored 3308 runs with a strike rate of 137.66. Kohli has scored a sum of 70 centuries in international cricket. He is one of the favorite players to break the 100 centuries record of Sachin Tendulkar. However, Kohli has been facing tough outings for some time in international cricket.

Virat Kohli In International Cricket: Awaiting the 71st Century

File:Virat Kohli Batting (cropped).jpg
Virat Kohli in ’10 – Image source: lensbug.chandru, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

While Virat Kohli has a knack for scoring centuries days after day, it has been a long time since Kohli has scored a century in international cricket. The last hundred Kohli scored was way back in 2019 when he played a 136-run knock against Bangladesh in Test cricket. Since November 2019, Kohli has failed to enter triple figures in international cricket. In the modern era, Kohli has set up the standards so high that his 70’s and 80’s are considered his failures.

2020

In 2020, Kohli averaged 47.9 in ODI cricket with a strike rate of 92.3 after scoring 431 runs. Kohli scored 5 fifties in nine ODI innings across the year. These statistics are astonishing for any other batsman in the world but Kohli has set up the bar so high that cricket pundits expect centuries from him.

If we talk about the stint of Virat Kohli during 2020 in Test cricket, Kohli faced tough times and circumstances in the longest format of the game. Kohli scored only 116 runs averaging only 19.3 in Tests. Furthermore, the past records and books say Kohli has a knack for making a terrific comeback after going through a horrible phase. During the England vs India 2013 Test series, Virat Kohli troubled heavily against England in Test cricket, averaging less than 15. The next time Kohli visited England, he smashed the ball all around the park and made terrific figures in the Test series.

2021

Virat Kohli participated in only three One Day Internationals in 2021. Out of three One Day Internationals, he scored the fifties in two matches and averaged 43.0 in the format. But again! The cricket fans raised only one question. Did Virat Kohli score a century in international cricket? When was the last time Kohli scored a hundred? Why Kohli is taking so long to score his next hundred? Do you have any interest to find out the odds of Virat Kohli topping the highest run-scorer list in the upcoming ODI World Cup? If yes, then you could go to the best online cricket sportsbook sites in the UK to know the numbers.

The batting average of Virat Kohli was set in the One Day International format. However, the legendary batsman faced bad numbers in Test cricket. In ODI cricket, Kohli has seen scoring runs, but only the 100 was not coming. However, 2021 saw Kohli being out of the touch in the longest format of the game. In the 19 Tests Kohli played in 2021, he averaged only 28.2 in the format. He scored only 536 runs in 19 innings. The batting marvel was miserable and scored only four fifties in the format.

The Captaincy Saga

The questions were arising in the form of Virat Kohli. Not only Kohli was facing criticism due to his batting form, but fans took his captaincy stint into consideration. 2021 witnessed India, who was the favorite to win the T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE, being eliminated in the first round of the tournament. Under the leadership of Kohli, it was the first time India lost against Pakistan in the World Cup.

In December 2021, BCCI sacked Virat Kohli from the position of the ODI captain. Earlier, Kohli announced that the T20 World Cup 2021 would be his last tournament as a captain in the format. Now Kohli was removed from the ODI leadership and Rohit Sharma was given the services of the ODI captaincy. According to Ganguly, it was requested by BCCI to Virat to not step down as a T20I captain. As Kohli was not a T20I captain anymore, BCCI felt that the idea of having two different captains in limited-overs cricket is not sane.

Virat Kohli, Indian cricket team captain - Free Image by Mohit Pareek on  PixaHive.com

2022

The pressure and hype in the media about the form of Virat Kohli were escalating. In January 2022, Kohli made an announcement that grabbed the attention of the whole cricketing world. He announced his resignation as a Test captain following the loss of the Test series against South Africa by 2-1. Kohli was tremendously successful as a Test captain for Indian cricket. Nevertheless, under the leadership of Virat Kohli, India qualified for the final of the World Test Championship against New Zealand at Southampton.

If we talk about the overall numbers, India won a total of 40 games out of 68 matches in the captaincy of Virat. In the huge history of Test cricket, Virat Kohli is the fourth most successful Test captain of all time. As Kohli stepped down as the captain of the Indian Test team, Kohli was no more a leader of the Indian side in any format. Rohit Sharma was appointed as the Indian captain in all forms of the game. Do you want to find out the number of chances India has of winning the upcoming T20 World Cup under the captaincy of Sharma? If yes, then you could go to the best online cricket sportsbook sites in India to know the numbers.

The Graph Moving Downward

The graph was moving downward for Virat Kohli in international cricket. All eyes were now on the batting performances of Virat Kohli. How would he retaliate to these critical circumstances like a champion? These were the questions. The fans are still awaiting the 71st century of the legendary batsman. As of July 31, 2022, Kohli has not scored a century. The number of Kohli in Test cricket is worrying. The batting marvel from India scored only 220 runs in 7 Test innings with a batting average of 31.4. He scored only one fifty in 2022 in the longest format of the game.

Virat Kohli in International Cricket
Virat Kohli in ’15 – Image source: NAPARAZZI, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If we talk about the One Day International statistics of Virat Kohli in 2022, Kohli averaged only 21.9 in the format. After playing 8 One Day Internationals in 2022, Kohli scored 175 runs in eight innings with a strike rate of 74.5 in the format. The dot-ball percentage of Virat Kohli is 53.6% in 2022. Furthermore, it is the highest number since the debut year of Virat Kohli in international cricket when his dot-ball percentage of 71.5%.

Virat Kohli in International Cricket: T20 World Cup 2022 Plans

Prior to the T20 World Cup 2022, Virat Kohli is facing bad form in the T20 International format. As India needs to make plans regarding its roster for the tournament, the form of Kohli is a concern for the selectors. In the four T20I innings Kohli played in 2022, he averaged only 20.2. He scored only 81 runs with a strike rate of 128.6. However, there is no chance that Virat Kohli will not make it to the final squad of India for the T20 World Cup 2022. Kohli needs to improve his performance and perform a grand comeback to make the Indian chances of winning the World Cup bright.

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Talha

I’m a Crictrovert: Introvert x Cricket Enthusiast. I like to speak less and write much. I’m shaky like Asian batsmen under clouds while expressing opinions verbally but comfortable like Kohli in chase while speaking textually.

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