The monkey is finally off his back. Virat Kohli scored the much awaited 71st international ton against Afghanistan in the recently concluded Asia cup in the UAE. It was his first T20 international hundred and this ton came after 1020 days of wait. Finally some joy for the King Kohli fans during the disappointment of getting knocked out of the tournament. Rohit Sharma’s India are trying to play a bit more attacking cricket in T20 formats. The template is being called “Punish-or-Perish”.
However this can hit back if taken too many risks in the early stages of the innings. India’s team selection was hugely criticized during the Asia Cup. BCCI decided to send a bowling attack without Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel, who is a proven T20 specialist bowler and have done tremendously well for every team he played.
One mistake they simply cannot make is to drop Kohli from the T20 world cup squad. We will look at the reasons why India need Kohli in the upcoming T20 world cup in Australia.
How many ICC T20 World Cup has Virat Kohli played?
King Kohli has played in a total of 5 T20 World Cups so far since making his debut in the tournament back in 2012. This will be his sixth. He has played a total of 21 matches in the competition so far.
Although it is one trophy that Kohli has not won in his career, Kohli was brilliant in the 2014 and 2016 editions where he was man of the series. Big player like him relishes big tournaments, something India need.
Is Kohli better than Babar?
Virat Kohli in T20Is has played 104 matches, scoring 3584 runs at an average of 51.95 and a strike rate of 138.27. He has a maiden 100 and 32 50s to his name. On the other hand, Babar Azam has played just 78 games. He has scored 2719 runs, at an average of 43.15 and a strike rate of 129.29. This clearly shows that Kohli is the King!!
Helping to build the innings
After playing some classy knocks in the recently concluded Asia Cup, fans can finally say the King Kohli is back to his best. Kohli has already set the standards so high that all expect only big tons from him. Fans must understand the fact that some vital knocks of 30+ and 40+ can help build the innings in some matches which is equally crucial and Kohli is a master of building the innings.
Virat Kohli against Australia
The 33 year old bats at a strike rate of above 135 in Australia in T20s. The pitches there suits his batting perfectly and he has already dominated Aussie bowling more than once down under. An in-form Kohli is a nightmare for every bowling attack even for the Aussies in their home turf.
How many years did Virat Kohli captain in T20?
Virat Kohli captained the Indian side for almost a decade, starting from Test cricket. He took charge of the Indian team for the first time in 2013 and lead them from the front till 2022. However, with regards to T20Is, he first captained the team on the 13th of December, 2014. This was the start of a new era.
Why did Virat Kohli resign as captain??
Well, it is safe to think that Kohli has returned to form at the perfect time. With the T20 World Cup this year and the 50-over tournament to follow, things do look good for the former Indian skipper. He was out-of-form prior to the Asia Cup and needed some time away from the game. His poor form and captaincy in the shorter format of the game, were both hurting the Indian team.
This gave his critics wings and they kept targetting the King, who eventually decided to resign from captaincy. It must have been a really hard decision, as Virat Kohli is a born leader. However, to extend his career as a batsman, it was the right call to make.
How many cups did Virat Kohli win?
Taking charge from India legend and his mentor MS Dhoni in 2017, King Kohli led India in three ICC tournaments. These were the 2017 Champions Trophy, 2019 ODI World Cup and the 2021 T20 World Cup. However, he has failed to lift a single trophy as captain of the senior team. Previously, Kohli had won the U-19 World Cup, during his time as skipper of that side.
