Virat Kohli T20 WC: Virat Kohli T20I Retirement: The day might come sooner than later. Virat Kohli may have to call it quits from T20Is after T20 World Cup in Australia. In fact, the selectors and the BCCI top brass are likely to discuss that option post-T20WC. For now, though, it is about who will blink first. Will it be BCCI or will it be Virat Kohli? Follow Asia Cup 2022 LIVE & T20 World Cup Live Updates on InsideSport.IN.
Kohli the T20 batter is playing from his memory. But it is now quite evident that his methods are not working quite well enough for him in this short-duration high-impact game. Nor is it allowing the Indian team to make optimal use of its resources. The 20s or 35s are coming but not at a strike-rate of 150 (it was 102.94 against Pakistan on Sunday).
Virat Kohli T20 WC: BCCI & Selectors likely to DISCUSS Virat Kohli’s T20I future after T20 World Cup, Follow LIVE Updates
Virat Kohli T20 WC: BCCI & Selectors likely to DISCUSS Virat Kohli’s T20I future after T20 World Cup, Follow LIVE Updates
Virat Kohli T20 WC: Will Virat Kohli be dropped from T20 World Cup Squad?
- Not even in your wildest of imagination even if he isn’t scoring runs at a breakneck pace.
- But can Kohli continue playing for India in this format post the T20 World Cup in Australia?
- Even if the people, who are in decision-making positions know the answer, they won’t spell it out.
- That is a question that has been doing rounds of the corridors of Indian cricket since the ‘Desert Debacle’ last year.
- India made a pre-mature exit from the T20 World Cup.
- That was Kohli’s last tournament as India’s T20 captain.
- He had then relinquished captaincy of one format thinking that it would help him ease his workload and free him from burdens of leading the side across all formats.
- One year down the line, even if Kohli doesn’t have any regrets, the move didn’t work out as it he would have envisaged.
- Subsequently, he was removed from ODI leadership and the intelligent man read the signs and surrendered his ‘virtual arm-band’ in a format where his numbers were phenomenal.
- He admitted that there was a phase when he wasn’t enjoying the game.
- In five T20Is in 2022, his scores are 17, 52, 1, 11 and 35.
Virat Kohli T20 WC: BCCI & Selectors likely to DISCUSS Virat Kohli’s T20I future after T20 World Cup, Follow LIVE Updates
Special win on a special day! 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/7WmE7GeJMD
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) August 28, 2022
While Kohli recently opened up about his recent struggles with mental health issues in a refreshingly candid interview with ‘Star Sports’, a case of burn-out can’t be ruled out.
464 international matches by the age of 33 is huge. Add 15 seasons of high-pressure Indian Premier League seasons, where he has not only been his franchise’s (IPL) batting mainstay but also its biggest brand.
Virat Kohli T20 WC: BCCI & Selectors likely to DISCUSS Virat Kohli’s T20I future after T20 World Cup, Follow LIVE Updates
If we leave aside the scores low scores, his 17 came off 13 balls, he took 41 deliveries for his 52 and 34 for his 35. What India requires is not half-centuries in every game. But maybe the 35 off 20-22 balls or even a 20 off 10 balls, which is high on impact quotient even if not in terms volume of runs.
To put it bluntly, his scores don’t fit with Rohit Sharma’s philosophy of attacking approach or Rohit-ball. The same is the case with KL Rahul but he still has time to modify his game, Kohli doesn’t.
Between overs 6 to 14 when slow bowlers are in operation, he is barely managing to keep a strike-rate of even 100 and these are cold hard statistical facts.
The discussion about Kohli’s position as No. 3 batter in T20 cricket is the proverbial elephant in the room. But it is understood that BCCI may not address the issue till the end of the T20 World Cup.
Perhaps, the easiest route will be if Kohli decides to take an indefinite break from the T20s while concentrating on the 50-over format. India have a World Cup to play at home and the 38 Tests earmarked in the next FTP cycle.
Virat Kohli T20 WC: BCCI & Selectors likely to DISCUSS Virat Kohli’s T20I future after T20 World Cup, Follow LIVE Updates
Up close and personal with @imVkohli!
Coming back from a break, Virat Kohli speaks about the introspection, the realisation and his way forward! 👍
Full interview coming up on https://t.co/Z3MPyeKtDz 🎥
Watch this space for more ⌛️ #TeamIndia | #AsiaCup2022 | #AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/fzZS2XH1r1
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 27, 2022
However, if nothing comes from Kohli’s end, possibly Chetan Sharma and his team of national selectors will have to prepare a roadmap along with head coach Rahul Dravid and NCA head VVS Laxman to start the phasing out process.
It happened with Sachin Tendulkar (in ODIs), Sourav Ganguly (across formats), Rahul Dravid (white ball before a final hurrah in 2011), Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag.
There is no reason why it can’t happen with Kohli. But perhaps either BCCI top brass or selectors are likely to have a frank discussion with him on his shortest format future before or after the T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli T20 WC: BCCI & Selectors likely to DISCUSS Virat Kohli’s T20I future after T20 World Cup, Follow LIVE Updates
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