An average of 30.88 in 15 tests and 33.40 in 10 ODIs with no hundreds in more than 45 innings if one must include T20s as well. These are damning statistics. One that will worry the Indian supporter in general and Kohli supporter in particular. It is no secret that the form of Virat Kohli is worrying. He is the mainstay of the Indian batting around whom the entire team evolves. Whenever, Kohli performs with the bat, India mostly wins. The influence that Kohli has on the opponents and upon his own team members is hard to express in words. It is under such circumstances that Kohli must find form and find it soon.
The other two are already jettisoned
It is not easy being Virat Kohli these days. He is among the triumvirate alongwith Pujara and Rahane upon whom much of Indian batting revolved over the first part of their careers. However, runs have dried up from the blades of all the three and as such, Pujara and Rahane have found themselves out of the Indian team. Presumably, forever. Their lack of runs and the decent success of Vihari, Iyer and Jadeja have more or less ensured that Pujara and Rahane will not be missed. Kohli, the third member of that that triumvirate is sailing on a rocking boat.
His performance is not that great when compared to the other two over the last 2 years but considering what he has accomplished before that, it does make sense to give him a much longer rope than anybody to find form and save himself from the ignominy of being dropped. Having said that, why is Kohli struggling? Does he enjoy the game as before? Does he feel that not being the captain any longer is seriously affecting his game? That probably must not be the case because he was struggling even when he was the captain in all the format.
England series is very important
This is an important season from Indian cricket perspective. The England series is set to conclude in the month of July. England is likely to be formidable when compared to last year. Archer, Stone and Stokes are likely to come back into the team. With Anderson & Robinson already part of the team, the bowling attack will be tough for the Indian batsmen. Moreover, Indians will not get the time to play practice games to adjust to the pitch conditions. All of these compels the Indian batsman to hit the ground running which makes Kohli a vital cog in the wheel.
Win or draw will mean that India win the series which will help in their cause to reach the WTC finals for the second consecutive time. With India continuing to play 5 batsmen plus Jadeja and Pant, Kohli runs in the middle is of paramount importance. He is the most experienced in the current Indian team and as such has lot of experience playing in England. He hasn’t had a fabulous series in England. He will be longing to complete the series with a bang. Moreover, this is likely to be Kohli’s final test in England and he must all the actions within is power to make it a great end to the series.
The World T20 in Australia
Apart from the England series, there is also the small matter of World T20 in Australia. In 2021, India failed to proceed beyond the first round. It was rather disappointing for the fans. With a change in guard, Rohit as the new captain and Dravid as the coach, the expectation of the fans has increased. Rohit has won a couple of tournaments and multiple IPL trophies. Hence, the expectations upon Rohit and the Indian team is at an all-time high.
Again, Kohli is centre to the success of the team. He is yet to score a hundred in T20. He is likely to continue at number 3 during the World Cup. It is a vital spot and as such, Indian fans will want Kohli to be at his absolute best. Without the pressures of captaincy, a Kohli in full flow, is a dangerous Kohli for the opposition.
Dravid will have to bring Kohli upto his best
Dravid’s role is very important. He himself went through periods where he wasn’t able to score. He came out of that and played quite a lot of innings that defined Dravid the batsman. Dravid will have to discuss with Kohli and help him get out of the prolonged form slump. Dravid at the end of his tenure will not only be judged based on the results of the team but how he was able to motivate Kohli and the rest to come out of the bad form and contribute to the success of the team in a big way.