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Virat Kohli's middle struggle becoming an alarming concern
Virat Kohli's middle struggle becoming an alarming concern
September 29, 2021 Authorbet365baji
Virat Kohli strike rate in the middle
overs and against spinners has dropped significantly in recent seasons, implying that RCB has
become overly reliant on AB de Villiers' pyrotechnics towards the death.
When analyzing Kohli's middle-overs strike rates across all IPL seasons, three of the five lowest totals have come since 2019, indicating that he hasn't been able to dominate post-Power Play and against spin bowling.
When it comes to spinners, the RCB captain hasn't made a strong enough impression. Kohli has scored 515 runs at an average of 115.73 since the start of 2019. He struck at 129.22 before the 2019 edition of the IPL.
While Kohli's average has risen slightly during the 2018 season – 57.22 compared to an overall average of 56.34 – the truth remains that he has struggled to score runs quickly against spinners.
On the other hand, Kohli's strike rate against fast bowlers has risen within the same period. Before 2019, he had a 131.1 percentile score. He has been hitting at 139.65 since the 2019 edition, which, despite the significantly lower average (28.88 vs 32.09), reveals his determination to take the game by the scruff of the neck against pacers.
As a result, it appears that the Indian captain made the right choice to go to open, given that seam bowling is what he enjoys doing the most. And, of course, his strike rate against spinners has dipped noticeably.
That doesn't change the fact that a pattern has developed that has reached frightening dimensions for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Indian cricket team.
While Kohli may have more boundary-scoring possibilities in the Power Play because he bats first, he still risks being trapped in the middle overs, which has already happened twice in the second half of the IPL and might derail India's T20 World Cup campaign.
Kohli's batting against spinners appears to have deteriorated at present, at least in terms of strike rate, willingness to take risks against them, and, of course, the execution that comes with risk-taking.
The presence of de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell at RCB helps to hide those flaws. In the Indian team, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant may play that role to some extent.
However, if Kohli can't figure out how to keep things going in the middle overs, expecting Jadeja and Pant to deliver something extraordinary every time they bat might be too much to ask.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore captain has a history of capitalizing on good starts. However, there may be a few chinks in that specific armour now.
To be fair to Kohli, he has most likely spotted his current weakness in the middle overs, and his ascension to the top of the order could be primarily due to this. On the other hand, Kohli is more than a Power Play dasher, as the entire cricketing community can attest.
He is still one of the top T20 batsmen on the circuit. However, if he wants to reclaim his position as the best batter in the league, he must resolve his middle confusion, which had been a significant source of concern.
When analyzing Kohli's middle-overs strike rates across all IPL seasons, three of the five lowest totals have come since 2019, indicating that he hasn't been able to dominate post-Power Play and against spin bowling.
When it comes to spinners, the RCB captain hasn't made a strong enough impression. Kohli has scored 515 runs at an average of 115.73 since the start of 2019. He struck at 129.22 before the 2019 edition of the IPL.
While Kohli's average has risen slightly during the 2018 season – 57.22 compared to an overall average of 56.34 – the truth remains that he has struggled to score runs quickly against spinners.
On the other hand, Kohli's strike rate against fast bowlers has risen within the same period. Before 2019, he had a 131.1 percentile score. He has been hitting at 139.65 since the 2019 edition, which, despite the significantly lower average (28.88 vs 32.09), reveals his determination to take the game by the scruff of the neck against pacers.
As a result, it appears that the Indian captain made the right choice to go to open, given that seam bowling is what he enjoys doing the most. And, of course, his strike rate against spinners has dipped noticeably.
That doesn't change the fact that a pattern has developed that has reached frightening dimensions for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Indian cricket team.
While Kohli may have more boundary-scoring possibilities in the Power Play because he bats first, he still risks being trapped in the middle overs, which has already happened twice in the second half of the IPL and might derail India's T20 World Cup campaign.
Kohli's batting against spinners appears to have deteriorated at present, at least in terms of strike rate, willingness to take risks against them, and, of course, the execution that comes with risk-taking.
The presence of de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell at RCB helps to hide those flaws. In the Indian team, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant may play that role to some extent.
However, if Kohli can't figure out how to keep things going in the middle overs, expecting Jadeja and Pant to deliver something extraordinary every time they bat might be too much to ask.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore captain has a history of capitalizing on good starts. However, there may be a few chinks in that specific armour now.
To be fair to Kohli, he has most likely spotted his current weakness in the middle overs, and his ascension to the top of the order could be primarily due to this. On the other hand, Kohli is more than a Power Play dasher, as the entire cricketing community can attest.
He is still one of the top T20 batsmen on the circuit. However, if he wants to reclaim his position as the best batter in the league, he must resolve his middle confusion, which had been a significant source of concern.