Change is the only constant. This is a universal philosophy. Time will always test the naysayers, including changes with time. Agni will undergo the test. It will cause you to face great difficulties. The Indian cricket team is also at such a critical juncture. The Indian cricket team is gearing up for a change. But Kohli, the indispensable veteran who travels with the team, is struggling to adapt to the change. Leave the stagnant goalie alone and continue their journey? Or accept his failures and carry him along for the sake of faith? That is the current hesitation of the Indian team.
Kohli’s selection in the Indian team has been called into question, especially with the T20s ahead of him, despite his impressive performances in all three formats in recent times. The reason is the upcoming T20 World Cup series. “There are a lot of players waiting for an opportunity. So why is Kohli being given a chance based on mere belief? Kohli may be a popular player. But we should not think that we will get a place in the team even if we continue to play badly. If you can drop Ashwin, you can drop Kohli too. Remember that he is not the same old goalie we used to see,” Kapil Dev has made a scathing criticism of Kohli’s place in the team. Sehwag also expressed the same opinion without mentioning Kohli’s name. Everyone who has been observing Kohli’s poor form has now moved on to the next phase. It has sparked a debate whether the Indian team should have a goalie or not.
What is the transformation of the Indian team that has spawned this debate? What can’t Kohli become? Which change makes the goalie stumble? Wasn’t the T20 series against England just over? One of the most important moves by the Indian team in that series was Rishabh Pant’s opening. In the last 2 T20I matches, Pant was the opener along with Rohit. This decision which made him the opener than Sophika shows the change of mind of the Indian team. The Indian team is starting to realize that they need a change in the way they approach T20 matches. The Indian team does not play with the same approach throughout a 20 over innings. In the powerplay, they will try to slow down the first 2-3 overs. Little action in the remaining powerplay overs. Again calm in the way the partnership builds in the middle overs. A big leap in the death overs starting to change gears a little over 13 overs. This is how the Indian team has approached T20 matches so far. It is in this that the Indian team hopes to bring about a change. It is also the imperative of time. Although it has been described as ‘the objective of T20 batsmen is to try to hit every ball’, Indian batsmen have not been accustomed to doing so so far. In an attempt to play like that from now on, the Rohit-Dravid combination sees Rishabh Pant playing a reverse sweep in the first over. As mentioned above, settling down and hitting in the death overs does not help the story. Attack without compromise from the first over. That’s why Punt came to the opening. Rohit bowls the first ball with an edge that flies over the bowler’s head.
The big question is whether Kohli will adapt to this modern approach. He was unable to do anything in the 2 T20 matches played in this England series. Also, it is confusing to believe that Kohli can fully prepare for this change in the future. Because such are Kohli’s recent records. Kohli’s strike rate in IPL 2020 season is 121.35. His strike rate in the 2021 season is 119.46. 115.98 in the 2022 season. 120 is a very modest strike rate even for T20. Kohli has scored less than that 120 in the last two seasons. He continues to wear out.
Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Hooda, who have been playing at Kohli’s No. 3 position recently, have played much better than Kohli in international matches. Strike rate is also better than Kohli. In particular, Deepak Hooda has been whitewashed in both matches against Ireland and in the first match against England. He has scored 184 runs in 3 matches at a strike rate of 179.4. In this, he scored a century at a strike rate of 182 at No. 3 in a match against Ireland. Thus, they dropped Deepak Hooda for the wicket in the last two matches against England.
Kohli did not live up to the expectations of the team. Players who meet the expectations of the team are not given regular opportunities and have to sit on the bench for the goalie. All this has added to the pressure on Kohli. Should Kohli be included in the World Cup squad? It has also raised the question.
Despite Rohit and Dravid expressing their faith in Kohli, the BCCI rested him for the West Indies series without his asking. Kohli now has two options in front of him. Meet the expectations of the team without compromise. It should break all hesitations and criticisms on him. Without question, he should be the No. 3 batsman in the World Cup squad. Otherwise second chance, to realize the reality. Kohli now has the same dilemma that every player has after 30. In such cases, many players have extended their career by giving up a format that is not suitable for them. Kohli must feel it too. If realized, Kohli could have an honorable exit from T20 matches, unlike captaincy. It will be interesting to see where Kohli moves in the coming days.
– U. Sriram