Rohit Sharma is ready to lead India to the ICC T20 World Cup final. But their former captain, Virat Kohli, is still in the spotlight, perhaps for different reasons. Especially his poor form in the current T20 World Cup.
The 35-year-old has appeared in 529 matches for India since his debut in 2008. He scored nearly 29,000 runs across all forms and has been a shell of himself in this tournament.
Kohli finds himself in a strange situation, with his place in the Indian team uncertain and second-highest scorer in T20Is. He scored just 75 runs in seven innings in the competition, including a top score of 37 against Bangladesh.
While his place in India’s final line-up is certain, it remains to be seen whether the match and maybe the final, will be his final ICC Cricket World Cup appearance.
Kohli’s talent has brought India from despair to happiness on several occasions. Now that one of the best batters in history is going through a slump. So, will his teammates be able to repay the favor on Saturday?
Let’s look over the five of his finest limited-over instances that set his image as an icon of the game:
2011: Kohli & India’s Cricket World Cup Triumph
Almost three years after his debut against Sri Lanka in ODI. Kohli was a World Cup winner with India at the 2011 tournament on home the ground. The then-22-year-old Virat filled up alongside Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and, the top scorer in the final against Sri Lanka with 97, Gautam Gambhir.
He scored 59 in the final group stage match against the West Indies in a 123-run stand with Yuvraj Singh for the third wicket, Hehe also opened the tournament with an unbeaten 100 off 83 balls against Bangladesh, as India posted 370-4 in an 84-run victory.
2012: Virat Kohli As a Limited-Overs Superstar
It was a game-changing innings in a tri-nation ODI series against Australia and Sri Lanka. Despite India’s struggles to post big totals, Virat walked out with India 86-2 in the tenth over and needed to chase down the opponents.
The right-hander ripped away the Sri Lankan attack. Especially Lasith Malinga, whom he hit for 24 runs in an over. He finished unbeaten on 133 as India knocked down the mark in 36.4 overs.
2012: Mirpur’s Miracle vs. Pakistan
Virat followed up on his exploits against Sri Lanka with another brilliant knock. The guy who was gaining a reputation as a run-chase maestro scored his first ODI (183) against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2012.
Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed set India an aim of 330 following centuries. When Kohli stepped out to play, India was one wicket down in the first over, facing a tough target.
Undeterred by the challenge, Virat Kohli went on to smash 183 off 148 balls, including successive century partnerships with Tendulkar (52) and Rohit Sharma (68), to lead India to victory in front of a full Mirpur stadium in Bangladesh.
2014: Kohli Dominates T20 World Cup
Ten years ago, in what was Virat Kohli’s best-ever T20 World Cup performance, South Africa had India in danger in the last semifinal in Bangladesh. The Proteas had never lost when defending a total of 170, but Kohli had other intentions.
He hit an unbeaten 74 off 42 deliveries to shatter South African aspirations and demolish a formidable bowling attack. The 319 runs he scored in the 2014 edition remain a T20 World Cup record for any hitter.
But they were insufficient for Kohli and India, as Sri Lanka won their first T20 title with a six-wicket victory in the final.
2022: Virat’s Special Stuns Pakistan
Kohli was a thorn in Pakistan’s side once more. He opened India’s T20 World Cup 2022 with one of the most stunning comebacks in the format’s history. After being assigned 160 to win, India was on the verge of loss at 31-4 after 6.1 overs when Virat decided to take charge.
He scored an unbeaten 82 off 53 balls in a barely conceivable innings. With two overs remaining, India was still up against it, needing 31 runs, when Kohli hammered Haris Rauf for two massive sixes off the fourth and sixth balls of the final over, leaving Pakistan and everybody who watched it astonished.