Is Virat Kohli's struggle for fluency costing India?

As long as the results come, it is all good. Positive results can paper over anything. What matters for the average cricket fan is the result, not how it came about.

But if only, it was that simple. Heading into a tournament as big as the T20 World Cup in a month’s time, India are using the build up to firm up their plans for the showpiece. They will continue to experiment whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself. But there is one thing India are yet to address — the elephant in the room.

Virat Kohli and his form, to be precise, is turning out to be a national debate of sorts. The star batsman returned well rested after a 42-day break. He himself admitted that he is mentally fresh and is enjoying himself out in the middle.

And while he definitely looks fresher, the intent and the fluency that fans have come to know of Kohli, is conspicuous by its absence. Kohli’s returns at the ongoing DP World Asia Cup has been a 34-balls 35 with two boundaries and an equal number of sixes against arch-rivals Pakistan and an unbeaten 59 from 44 deliveries with three sixes and a boundary against minnows Hong Kong.

The argument would be that he got the runs against Hong Kong but if one delves deep inside, Kohli was lacking in fluency, and perhaps intent.

Kohli came at the fall of skipper Rohit Sharma and began decently, trying to get his eye in. And he was on a run-a-ball nine but fell behind in the ninth over where he was on 13 from 15 balls. Kohli did claw back up to 25 from 24 balls by the 12th over but his innings lacked the impetus, especially considering India are looking at shedding their safety-first philosophy and are buying into a new attacking ethos.

The Indian ship was clearly lacking in direction by then with them placed at 85 for one at the end of the 12th over and then 94 for two after opener KL Rahul departed following a 39-ball 36.

It was down to the explosive Suryakumar Yadav to make a course correction for India and for them to put up an imposing total. If not for Surya’s pyrotechnics, India would have had to settle for far less, perhaps 150 or 160. And the fact that Hong Kong made a fist of the chase, it would be anyone’s guess what could have happened had India had only managed to muster 150 or 160.

Former Indian batsman Wasim Jaffer said that it is worrying to see Kohli bat like this.

“I am still worried about his fluency,” Jaffer said on a ESPNcricinfo’s post-match programme.

“That fluency is still not there which we have seen before. I don’t think we are witnessing fluency yet, even though he scored runs today,” he added.

Jaffer, a domestic stalwart, who played 31 Tests and two One-Day Internationals for India, said apart from his fluency, Kohli was maybe lacking in intent as well. And that is having a knock-on effect.

“If anyone is scoring at a strike rate of 140 or 150 then India is in trouble. So there must be someone who needs to bat at a much greater strike rate than Virat Kohli,” he felt.

“If not for the knock of Suryakumar Yadav, India would have ended up with 150 or 160 and that would have been a dangerous thing,” added the 44-year-old.

Meanwhile, another former Indian batsman Robin Uthappa defended Kohli and said that he maybe chose to bat safely considering the explosive batting that was to follow.

“I think in the middle overs, with the spinners, there was a point where he could have gone harder. But I think he chose that safer option because maybe he thought there were guys like Surya (Kumar Yadav), Rishabh (Pant) and Dinesh (Karthik) to come down the order,” said Uthappa.

“Maybe because of that he felt let me take it deeper. And he was right in that sense because Surya came in and played the way he played. So, there is a point when you say how much can you afford this and that seems to be popping up a little bit right now. And I think genuinely, it was Surya who saved the day for us in that sense, to help the team get to 190. If this was a 160 game, India would have been under the pump,” added the 36-year-old, who played 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is for India.

That brings us to the question: does Kohli fit into India’s T20 scheme of things. Perhaps, he still does because a batsman of his calibre cannot be left out when we are so close to the T20 World Cup.

Maybe a different role would suit the batsman better. Kohli could maybe open the batting with the licence to go for broke from ball one.

Maybe then, we could all see the Kohli of yore.

Kohli's strike rate in T20Is in 2022

124.11

(Matches 6. Runs 175. Highest 59 not out. Average 35)

Kohli's strike rate overall in T20I career

137.12

(Matches 101. Runs 3402. Highest 94 not out. Average 50.78)

Kohli's strike rate in IPL 2022

115.99

(Matches 16. Runs 341. Highest 73. Average 22.73)