The End of Virat Kohli?

Cricket | T20I | T20 | IPL | IPL 2022 | RCB | Virat Kohli

Every cricket, IPL and RCB fan wants Virat Kohli to score runs. A trademark Kohli innings is a lesson in batting with all of defence, taking singles and hitting boundaries executed to perfection. It is paced brilliantly and there is minimal risk involved with orthodox cricketing shots. I have not come across a more complete batsman in all my cricket following. Oh, the elegance of that cover drive, him holding his pose as the ball races to the boundary, and then fist-punching his partner as the bowler stands in despair. I miss that. I miss the old Virat Kohli.

I am not going to argue over whether it is his misfortune or just poor form. The truth is he is not scoring runs in this IPL season. Him taking out his frustration while looking up into the sky after his dismissal v PBKS summed up the emotions of most of us. It is just not happening for him and however much you want to hold on to him, he is giving lesser and lesser reasons to do so with every cricket match.

Can Kohli revisit his glory years?

I never believed one could succeed in T20s without a power game. But Virat Kohli taught me otherwise. There he was with lofted cover drives, square cuts, stylish flicks and controlled pulls. And just the swag in every shot. He looked indomitable at his peak with an average of over 50 in T20Is. The 2016 IPL season for RCB was sensational as he racked upon century after century, and each innings was a masterclass. He defined a new success mantra in T20 cricket, one of minimal risk and high reward, but you ought to have the ability to execute it. It is not everyone's cup of tea.

But none of that remains today. The big runs are absent and those shots are seen only for a fleeting moment. It is not as if he has not tried different things. In IPL 2022 itself, he has dropped a complete anchor and looked to play through the innings. He has decided to be aggressive upfront. But nothing is making a difference to his string of low scores. He keeps getting out, breaking RCB fans' hearts and making us wonder if this is it.

It is not as if he has lost the ability. The timing still showcases itself. The audacious strokes are still there to be seen. But the consistency is missing. His best score this IPL season has been 58 v GT. But let's be honest, we don't want to see Virat Kohli prodding along and then playing a rash shot in a bid to up the ante. We want him to be in control of the situation and dictate terms. We want him to own the stage.

The games that life plays with the mightiest. #Virat.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 23, 2022

Is it the end of Virat Kohli in T20 cricket? The cricket fan in me refuses to believe so. He still hopes there is that extraordinary innings around the corner. Those shots played to perfection are a sight he wants to relive. Don't give us a 973, but at least make it to 400 runs, he says. At some level, we all believe there is another peak left in this magnificent cricket career. It is the wait that is killing us, and also him.

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