Virat Kohli is out. Cheaply. Again. The master of India’s semi-final faced a rare failure in an ICC knockout game, getting dismissed for nine against England in Guyana. Kohli appeared scratchy, unassured, and completely out of control, continuing his barren run in the ongoing T20 World Cup. He was scoring at a run-a-ball before being bowled by England’s Reece Topley. The sound of timber was met with stunned silence as India lost their first wicket early, and Kohli made the long walk back to the pavilion.
On a surface that stayed low and was two-paced, Kohli struggled. He hit a six off Topley, a pick-up shot over cow corner, which seemed like he was finding his rhythm. But when he attempted the same shot on the next ball, it crashed onto his leg stump. Clearly upset, Kohli practiced the shot again as he walked off. Any chance for redemption would have to wait until the next game, assuming India advanced.
The biggest takeaway, however, were the visuals from the dressing room. Sitting between Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, Kohli cut a dejected figure until Rahul Dravid approached him. The outgoing India head coach rested his hand on Kohli’s knee in consolation. Kohli will indeed be disappointed. This is not what the world is used to seeing from him, especially in ICC tournaments. He was India’s highest run-scorer in the 2014, 2016, and 2022 T20 World Cups, and in last year’s 50-over World Cup as well. Seeing Kohli struggle so much is sad and heartbreaking.
This is Kohli’s fifth single-digit score of the tournament. He was dismissed for 1 against Ireland, 4 against Pakistan, and two ducks against the USA and Australia. Even against Afghanistan, he looked far from his free-flowing best, scoring 24 off 24. His only convincing innings came against Bangladesh, where he hit 37 off 28 balls. Still, the ‘this is it’ factor was missing.
While Kohli fans are devastated seeing their KING dismissed cheaply, Rohit Sharma has kept India going on probably the toughest pitch India have batted on in this World Cup. The India captain was batting on 37 off 26 balls, taking India to 65/2 in 8 overs before rain caused another interruption. India suffered another blow when Rishabh Pant was out for 4 off 6 balls, but Suryakumar Yadav’s promising start – unbeaten on 13 off 7 – will calm the team’s collective nerves.
