Virat Kohli may just be the greatest-ever batter in T20 World Cup history. The highest run-scorer in the event’s history has found the level of success people can dream of and can be replicated in just video games. But in the 2024 T20 World Cup, the star batter hasn’t been able to sustain the high benchmark he has set. 66 runs at 11 with a strike rate of 100 are bad for anyone, but for someone of Kohli’s stature, they are a disgrace.
Forget fans, but he expects much better. Not to fear, we might just see Virat Kohli enter God Mode in the India vs England semifinal at the Providence Stadium. The former Indian skipper has a mind-boggling record in the T20 World Cup semifinals, with the lowest score being 50.
Virat Kohli’s record in T20 World Cup semifinals
| Matches | Runs | Balls | AVG | SR | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 211 | 131 | 211 | 161.06 | 89* |
In the 2014 edition, Kohli scored 72(44)* against South Africa, chasing down a 173-run target. The next best scorer was Ajinkya Rahane with his 32(30), not only did he win the ‘Player of the Match’ award but also the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award.
Kohli replicated the same in 2016, where he scored 89(47)* against eventual champions the West Indies. He top-scored once again, but this time he failed to win the match for India as the 193-run target was chased down by the Windies. He did, however, win the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award for the second consecutive time.
Now, we come to the last edition (2022). This might be his worst semifinal performance of all time. Kohli did score a half-century, but did so at a slow pace. This time, he wasn’t Team India’s best batter of the match or the tournament. This also happens to be the only time he’s been dismissed in a T20 World Cup semifinal.
All three mentioned above were the 2nd semifinal; he put out match-winning performances in two of these, and even at his worst, he scored 50(40) against the same opposition he’s set to face at the Providence Stadium in Guyana later today. Will we see another Virat Kohli masterclass? Given how out of touch he’s been, it’s due, and if I were England, I’d be more scared of Kohli than rain.
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