England legend decodes Virat Kohli’s struggles at T20 World Cup ahead of IND vs SA final: ‘Consequence of New York’

The 35-year-old batting stalwart has endured a torrid run, failing to register a 50+ score in the tournament so far. In the semi-final against England, Kohli was dismissed for run-a-ball 9 as he looked to play with an aggressive intent – a template all of India’s batters have been religiously following in the World Cup.

Kohli’s poor run remains a cause of worry for India as it prepares for the all-important final, and former England captain Mike Atherton explored a potential reason behind the star batter’s struggles. According to Atherton, the opening leg of the tournament – where India played in New York – had been significantly tricky due to sluggish surface, and the eventual lack of runs in the Caribbean has been its consequence.

“At the top of the order, it has not gone smoothly. Virat Kohli has been very short of runs. He is a class player, obviously, and they are going to stick with him, but he hasn’t been firing. But that can be said for South Africa as well. Both of these teams played 3-4 games in New York at the start, the pitch was the most up and down of them all. That consequence has played out in the Super Eight, where none of the top-order batters are absolutely prime nick,” Atherton told Sky Sports.

Kohli had a combined total of 5 runs in three innings in the group stage, with the match against Canada being washed out without a bowl being bowled. 

Other players stepped up

Despite their star batter not being in the best touch, India have been an impressive side in the tournament, with other players stepping up brilliantly. Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, has two successive fifties to his name in the Super Eight match against Australia and the semis against England. Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya have also contributed with vital runs in the middle-order, helping India reach strong scores throughout the tournament.