Almost a decade ago, a youngster from Delhi made his way into the MS Dhoni-led Indian team. His passion for scoring runs and the zeal to win games was clearly visible in his look. He always had an aggressive stance on the field and over time this became his hallmark. The young Delhi boy was Virat Kohli who was touted as Dhoni’s successor across all formats and in turn, the former did not disappoint the team’s think tank.
Kohli rose to success in no time and his batting prowess earned him the status of one of the greats of the modern era. Experts started recognizing him as the only capable batsman to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 centuries. But after 2019 his performance with the bat became one of the biggest concerns.
It has been more than two years since Kohli scored a century in international cricket. The last ton he scored against Bangladesh was the first pink ball test played in India. He scored 136 runs at the Eden Gardens as the hosts won the match by an innings and 46 runs. Since then, fans have been eagerly waiting to see him raise his bat in excitement.
Kohli had stepped down from India’s T20I captaincy earlier this year citing workload management as the main reason. A month later, he was dropped from the post of ODI captain, but continued to lead the team in the longest format of the game. With fewer responsibilities on his shoulders, will the 31-year-old be back what he used to be?
Team India’s next mission is to win South Africa. This is a country where they have not won a Test series. In 2017, the visitors suffered a 2-1 loss, but considering their recent runs in Australia and England, beating the Proteas in their own backyard will no longer be a distant dream.
Did Kohli deserve the chance to tour South Africa?
Over the years, Kohli has played 25 Test innings, with the highest score being 74 against Australia in Adelaide. Meanwhile, he also scored over 5 fifty but could never convert them into triple digits. The more concerning part is his record for most ducks in the longest format of the game as captain.
In home tests, he has lost his wicket six times without scoring, the most among all Indian captains to have led the team so far. In his last five innings, he scored a duck only once against New Zealand in Mumbai, but his scoring rate remains low.
With Rohit Sharma named as the new vice-captain, the upcoming tour of South Africa will be the last chance for the Delhi player to prove his mettle with the bat. But since the former has been ruled out with a hamstring injury and Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara are already struggling with their respective forms, the only option is to rely on Kohli.
Read also | Virat Kohli Counters Sourav Ganguly, Claims He Was Told Not To Quit T20I Captaincy
The above factors will also put additional pressure on their performance when India begins their tour at Centurion. Kohli is well aware of the fact that Rohit’s absence could be a cause of concern for the team, with his middle order yet to resolve the issue until he chips in with confidence.
Watch Kohli’s last tour of South Africa
Back in 2018, Kohli finished the three-match Test series as the highest scorer with 286 runs. He scored a century and half-century at an average of 47.67. In ODIs, he scored 558 runs in 6 innings at an average of 186. He scored 3 centuries and one half-century.
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