When Virat Kohli hit a single to long on off Mohammed Shami, there was a loud roar that reverberated around the Brabourne Stadium. Kohli had hit his first fifty off IPL 2022. There was tremendous relief among the thousands of cricket fans at the stadium and the billions on social media. ‘Virat Kohli is back’, that was the clarion call from all media outlets and commentators. Kohli looked relieved rather than jubilant.
However, hidden behind the glamour of the milestone lied the uncomfortable truth. Kohli was still not at his best. On a Brabourne strip that was a concrete slab and with no demons, the old Kohli would have gone berserk. In 2022, Kohli reached his fifty off 45 balls. Especially after the start that he had given Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), this fifty was in more ways than one a let-down.
It was a let-down for a major reason. When a player is not in great form, he will take his own time to get going. His first major focus will be to spend time on the crease. Once he gets his eye in, he will gradually build the innings. This is exactly what happened with Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli and his strike-rate issue
When Kohli hit two crisp boundaries off Shami through long off and deep square leg, everyone got a feeling that the Kohli of old was in the house. The focus was there. Check. The short ball that had undone Kohli in the game against Rajasthan Royals, this time went to the boundary. Luck was on his side. Check. The flick and extra cover drive off Alzarri Joseph showed he was in the beast zone mode. Triple check.
In the powerplay, Kohli ran aggressively and continued to find the boundary. It was at that point that trouble began. One can label it as disciplined Gujarat bowling. He was also playing out plenty of dot balls. In three overs, he played out six dot balls and scored just four runs. When he hit a six and four off Lockie Ferguson, he had gone past the strike-rate of 100.
For 15 balls after that, Kohli did not hit a single boundary. That meant two-and-a-half overs wasted. In the old Kohli, he could have doubled that advantage in that same period. Here, he could not. When Shami got him for the fifth time in IPL with an off-stump yorker, the tempo was much slower. His strike-rate of 109 saw RCB fall at least 10-15 runs short of the par score at Brabourne.
Kohli sinks RCB?
Kohli’s knock, in hindsight, was the key factor that sunk RCB. The pitch eased out in the second innings, as David Miller and Rahul Tewatia showed. It took some disciplined middle-overs bowling from RCB to keep them in the hunt. But, had Kohli scored at even 125-130, it would have made a massive difference.
The strike-rate should be the focus in this knock. It is a worrying sign for India because he just could not kick on. On a flat deck and as an opener, Kohli managed a strike-rate of 109. In international cricket and in much tougher conditions, he will get caught out. Plus, for India, he will not open. This means that his middle overs struggle could hurt the national side.
It must be made clear. A knock should be celebrated. But, when it comes to the larger picture, Kohli’s strike-rate has hurt RCB and put them in a position where they may not qualify for the playoffs. When Sachin Tendulkar went slow for his 100th hundred in the Asia Cup 2012, it was labelled a ‘selfish’ knock because India were 20-30 runs short of the par score. Bangladesh chased it down and dumped India out of the contest. If Kohli’s struggles continue, then the problems will mount.
Kohli is also in a Catch-22 situation. If he does not get the timing of his break well, then he and India will be on shaky ground. At this point in time, celebrating individual milestones should be kept in the back. The broader picture is, Kohli is still struggling. His strike-rate robbed Bangalore of two crucial points. One hopes in the coming games, Kohli can correct and improve the strike-rate. But, until then, the worrying signs remain.
