Is Virat Kohli’s Role In T20 Cricket Sustainable?
Virat Kohli is one of the most successful batsmen in modern cricket. His aggressive brand of batting has brought him accolades and achievements that would prompt any cricketer to keep going. However, with so much success comes a lot of pressure. If a player can’t handle it, it could lead to a decline in form sooner or later. Kohli’s first season as captain was successful and his second one has been equally as good.
He has continued to improve as a leader and his team to seems to be coming around under him. The bowlers have let Kohli down in 2018 but even they have begun showing signs of improvement with every passing game while the batsmen continue to get better with each passing day. However, there are some concerns surrounding the future of Kohli’s role as an all-format regular for India in T20Is and ODIs. Let’s discuss them:
India’s T20I against Australia
This was a highly competitive game that featured two vastly different styles of batting. India started well and was 80/1 in the 9th Over when Rohit Sharma and Krunal Pandya came together to put on a 121-run partnership. Pandya was dismissed in the very next over and the partnership was broken. The Aussies were trailing by 25 runs with just 4 wickets remaining but they somehow managed to pull off a stunning victory with 2 balls remaining on the board.
This was a disappointing end to a promising series for the Men in Blue. India struggled with the new ball and the middle overs were particularly difficult for them. The Indian fast bowlers could not get the new ball to have much bowling penetration and the Australian batsmen were able to score runs easily against them. This was an odd series for India as they lost the game in the end but showed tons of potential throughout the series.
India’s T20I against England
India won the toss and chose to bat in the final of the 3-match series. While England had a few players who could win matches for the team, India’s batting was impressive throughout the series. While Rohit Sharma was in brilliant form, the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, and Uthappa complemented his stroke-play well.
Rohit Sharma continued to impress on his return to Australia as he scored a ton and made a century in the final of the series. However, the real star of the series was Smriti Mandhana. She scored 693 runs in the series at an average of 136 and a strike rate of over 198. She was especially successful against the new ball and the pace bowlers she faced struggled to get her out. Her impact on the series was huge and she could well be the future captain of the Indian women’s team.
India’s T20I against New Zealand
New Zealand had a relatively low-key tour of India where they played 3 T20Is and 1 ODI. However, the Ind-NZ series was a rather intense contest with both teams trying to win their respective home crowds. New Zealand’s bowling was not up to the mark in this series and their batting was also below par. India managed to win the series 2-1 and their batting was particularly impressive. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan once again led from the front as they scored tons in all 3 matches. New Zealand’s bowling was not even close to the standard of the Indian bowlers and it was a clear sign of things to come in the World Cup.
India’s ODI series vs New Zealand
New Zealand was not expected to pose much of a threat to the Indian batsmen but they proved otherwise throughout the series. Their bowlers were disciplined and their lower-order batting was impressive to watch. New Zealand won the first match of the series at Eden Park but India won the next 2 matches comfortably to take a 2-1 series lead.
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This series was a classic case of a lower-ranked team giving a great fight to the better-ranked team. India’s batting was again impressive throughout the series with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Krunal Pandya leading the way. New Zealand’s bowling was below par in the series and this was another clear sign of things to come in the World Cup.
India’s ODI series against England
England had a difficult tour of India where they played 4 ODIs and 1 T20I. The conditions in India were not ideal for batting and the pitches were either worn out or had too much grass on them. This series was a welcome change for the Indian batsmen as they played on good batting-friendly grounds.
The ODIs had a lot of exciting cricket and all the games were incredibly competitive right up until the very end. This series was also a good chance for the batsmen to get used to playing together in a proper format. The experience was to prove very useful in the World Cup. The Indian bowlers were not at their best but they were able to contain the English batsmen well.
Conclusion
Virat Kohli has been a successful batsman in all formats of the game and has been instrumental in Indian cricket’s rise to the very top of the world rankings. His aggressive brand of batting has also brought him accolades and achievements that would prompt any cricketer to keep going.
However, with so much success comes a lot of pressure. If a player can’t handle it, it could lead to a decline in form sooner or later. Kohli’s first season as captain was successful and his second one has been equally as good. He has continued to improve as a leader and his team to seems to be coming around under him.
The bowlers have let Kohli down in 2018 but even they have begun showing signs of improvement with every passing game while the batsmen continue to get better with each passing day. However, there are some concerns surrounding the future of Kohli’s role as an all-format regular for India in T20Is and ODIs. Let’s discuss them:
## India’s T20I against Australia This was a highly competitive game that featured two vastly different styles of batting. India started well and was 80/1 in the 9th Over when Rohit Sharma and Krunal Pandya came together to put on a 121-run partnership. Pandya was dismissed in the very next over and the partnership was broken.
The Aussies were trailing by 25 runs with just 4 wickets remaining but they somehow managed to pull off a stunning victory with 2 balls remaining on the board. This was a disappointing end to a promising series for the Men in Blue. India struggled with the new ball and the middle overs were particularly difficult for them. The Indian fast bowlers could not get the new ball to have much bowling penetration and the Australian batsmen were able to score runs easily against them.
This was an odd series for India as they lost the game in the end but showed tons of potential throughout the series. India’s T20I against England This was a highly competitive game that featured two vastly different styles of batting. India started well and was 80/1 in the 9th Over when Rohit Sharma and Krunal Pandya came together to put on a 121-run partnership. Pandya was dismissed in the very next over and the partnership was broken.
The Aussies were trailing by 25 runs with just 4 wickets remaining but they somehow managed to pull off a stunning victory with 2 balls remaining on the board. This was a disappointing end to a promising series for the Men in Blue. India struggled with the new ball and the middle overs were particularly difficult for them. The Indian fast bowlers could not get the new ball to have much bowling penetration and the Australian batsmen were able to score runs easily against them.
This was an odd series for India as they lost the game in the end but showed tons of potential throughout the series. India’s T20I against New Zealand This was a highly competitive game that featured two vastly different styles of batting. India started well and was 80/1 in the 9th Over when Rohit Sharma and Krunal Pandya came together to put on a 121-run partnership. Pandya was dismissed in the very next over and the partnership was broken.
The Aussies were trailing by 25 runs with just 4 wickets remaining but they somehow managed to pull off a stunning victory with 2 balls remaining on the board. This was a disappointing end to a promising series for the Men in Blue. India struggled with the new ball and the middle overs were particularly difficult for them. The Indian fast bowlers could not get the new ball to have much
