Kohli's lean patch a concern: Here's what Kapil Dev feels
Virat Kohli is going through a dull phase in his cricketing career. Once known for smashing hundreds with ease, the talented batter hasn't reached the three-figure mark since November 2019. Highlighting the same, former India skipper Kapil Dev has raised concerns regarding Kohli's form over the last two years. We look at his stats in this interval.
In April, Kohli played his 100th competitive game without scoring a century. The tally included 17 Tests, 21 ODIs, 25 T20Is, and 37 IPL matches. His last century came in 2019 during the Day/Night Test against Bangladesh in Kolkata. He had scored 136 off 194 during India's first innings. Since then, Kohli has failed to touch the three-digit figure in competitive cricket.
Since the start of 2020, Kohli averages less than 50 in T20Is (47.35), less than 40 in ODIs (39), and less than 30 in Tests (28.03). He also fared poorly in India's last Test series against Sri Lanka. Kohli scored just 81 runs across three innings against the Island Nation. Since November 2019, he has scored just 841 runs in 30 Test innings.
Kohli's last ODI ton was against West Indies in August 2019. He had slammed 114* off 99 deliveries. He hasn't brought up a hundred in 50 overs since then. The run machine has averaged a mediocre 37.66 in this period. Kohli has 791 runs from 21 ODIs (10 fifties). He has registered a duck on three occasions.
Dev is bothered with Kohli's failure to clock a hundred for such a long duration. "I am also asking the same thing: Such a big player and such a big gap. I am also bothered with it because he is like a hero to us," he said on Youtube channel Uncut. Dev asserted that Kohli needs to improve from a mental standpoint.
Kohli didn't have a desirable run as per his standards in IPL 2022. He could fetch only 341 runs at 22.73. He recorded three ducks in the season, joint-most in 2022 with KL Rahul, Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, and Anuj Rawat.
Despite his lean patch, Kohli still averages 54.11 in international cricket. He has the seventh-most runs (23,650) across formats. With 70 international centuries to his name, Kohli is only behind Sachin Tendulkar (100) and Ricky Ponting(71). Among active cricketers, David Warner and Joe Root follow Kohli with 43 tons each. All Kohli needs is one knock to get back his rhythm.
Kohli has been rested for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland. Instead, he is with the Indian contingent, preparing to face England for the fifth and final Test slated to take place in Edgbaston. India would then compete in the white-ball leg versus England. Later, they will tour WI for a limited-overs series that will lead up to the 2022 T20 World Cup.
