What was the salient feature of watching Virat Kohli bat at his very best? Maybe, it was about the sprint to the crease. There was a bit of shadow practice too — perfecting the alignment, like head position and front shoulder. The subsequent trigger movement, followed by the loud noise of the crowd after the crack of the willow against the leather, were all part of a familiar Kohli batting manual.
Somewhere in 2024, when Kohli walks out to bat , the feeling is different. It almost feels as if it is just a matter of time before Kohli edges one to the slip cordon. Even in the first innings of the Gabba Test, the mode of dismissal was the same. After being beaten on the outside edge a few times, he tried an airy-fairy drive and was dislodged. With the helmet facing downwards, Kohli slowly trudged back to the pavilion.
The numbers don’t lie either. Since the start of 2020, Kohli is averaging a mere 31.67 in Test cricket. He has compiled three tons over those 37 Test matches. But if you scratch the surface further, all those hundreds came when India had crossed the 100-run mark.
So, what could have gone wrong for one of the mainstays of the batting unit? For starters, right from the time Kohli had problems while facing England’s James Anderson in 2014, he has been troubled by deliveries in the one-square foot window outside off. However, Kohli was able to manage the much-talked about forward-press far better in 2018. That year also turned out to be Kohli’s annus mirabilis as he notched hundreds in South Africa, England and Australia.
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Fast-forward to present times, it feels as if Kohli has tweaked his technique. He has opened up his stance, but his fortunes haven’t changed much, his hands seem to be moving more towards the ball than the feet. The right hip and right shoulder could be opening up a little too early. It could also be related to the mental aspect of his game.
Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports: “Kohli has also shown it. You can’t score 9000 runs in Test cricket and hit 32 hundreds without having mind control. Over here, there is a second innings, and there are two more Tests to go. So, there are two more Tests to go. So, there’s plenty of opportunity to resolve,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Michael Vaughan told the official broadcaster: “Kohli is a player who’s going out there (and) almost trying to get on top too soon. When he plays at his best, particularly in Australia and England when the ball does a little bit more, he just leaves the ball. Most of his dismissals in this series have been balls that he could have left. I don’t think he’s got a jaffa.”
Kohli still seems to have the zeal to chisel out a route from the quagmire he currently finds himself in. Even before the commencement of the Gabba Test, he had a long net session. And he was once more taking throwdowns before the start of day 4.
Such has been Kohli’s propensity to nibble at deliveries outside his off-stump, that it has become difficult to imagine him not poking at one. The counter argument to it would be he has over 9000 Test runs. So, at some point, he will shut out all the negative thoughts and roar back to form. Only time will tell which of the two hypotheses is true.
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