Virat Kohli

[Napolean]

Discuss him.

I am a little worried about his recent form. Will post updates/musings.
Post if you like.

[ashdoc]

captaincy takes a toll on every captain .

rahul dravid and ganguly horribly lost their form on becoming captains .

[sarv_shaktimaan]

who cares about Kohli.. Yuvi is back and Raina is out.

[ashdoc]

How come yuvi is back? Did his father's tirade against dhoni do the trick or did he use some influence? Frankly i am not in touch with cricket but last heard yuvraj was hardly in form.

[sarv_shaktimaan]

Originally Posted by ashdoc

How come yuvi is back? Did his father's tirade against dhoni do the trick or did he use some influence? Frankly i am not in touch with cricket but last heard yuvraj was hardly in form.

apna life to ped pe baithe ullu jaisa hai.. wake up 18 hours a day.. so I copy paste the best skill I learnt.

Yuvraj Singh comes back to the squad in a rich vein of form. After a disappointing IPL for Delhi Daredevils, a not-so-great Ranji Trophy campaign for Punjab that saw him make 398 runs in 11 innings, Yuvraj has turned it around in the ongoing Vijay Hazare trophy with 341 runs in 5 innings at an average of over 80 and a strike rate of 103.64. He took Punjab to the knockouts with a scintillating 83-ball 98 in a chase of 324 against Services.
These are numbers of a man in good touch.

Between his last appearance for India and now, the cult of Yuvraj was always looming around India’s limited overs performances. There was outrage when he was not selected for the 2015 World Cup, the humbling series defeat in Bangladesh saw a social-media clamour to bring him back, and even during the recent South Africa ODI series, Sunil Gavaskar spoke about Yuvraj’s comeback when he made 187 in Ranji Trophy against Gujarat. He said it is disappointing that he is not getting a chance, despite that knock being the only one of substance from the southpaw in Ranji Trophy.

And therein lay the problem. The legion of fans Yuvraj has – something he has rightly earned through what he has achieved on and off the cricket field – wanted him to make a comeback because of that cult status. To them, the name ‘Yuvraj’ was big enough to bring him back. To them, his disappointing IPL form did not matter. To them, the balance of the squad and where Yuvraj would fit in, did not matter. His father’s belligerence in the media against the current Indian set-up did not help his cause either.

His comeback this time, however, is merited not just on good form but the struggles of the Indian T20I squad. Despite the IPL, India have never really managed a good run in the shortest format at the international level lately. Part of the problem, as we saw during South Africa’s recent clean-sweep of Dhoni’s side, is the lack of a balanced batting lineup. With Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma all playing at the top of the order for their respective IPL teams, India have struggled to find a good middle-order hitter. A clean-striker of the ball who can handle the death overs and maybe chip in with a few overs while bowling, too, was evidently missing from this lineup.

[Napolean]

One year back Kohli was king. He was #1 of Indian batsmen in all formats.
In last year though , couple of batsmen have moved ahead of Kohli in tests.
Rahane hit a century in all countries - England , SA etc. Kohli was found wanting.
M Vijay also fared well on overseas tours. So Kohli is no longer #1 in Tests. Rahane has surged ahead.
In ODIs , Kohli's overall record is so amazing and mind boggling that I would take his recent failures as exceptions. We will assess his form after Australia tour, most likely he will score runs there because Australian wickets are flat wickets now-a-days.

[sgars]

Probably, 'he is spending all his energy' on Anushka.

[Napolean]

Kohli's 91 in first ODI against Australia was little slow. If it was a bit faster , India could have scored close to 350 and may have won.

Anyhow, he just needs 78 runs in next 6 innings to be the fastest in ODI history to score 7000 runs (beating ABDV).
Seems within his reach considering Aussies prepare flat wickets now a days.

[sarv_shaktimaan]

Originally Posted by Napolean

Kohli's 91 in first ODI against Australia was little slow. If it was a bit faster , India could have scored close to 350 and may have won.

Anyhow, he just needs 78 runs in next 6 innings to be the fastest in ODI history to score 7000 runs (beating ABDV).
Seems within his reach considering Aussies prepare flat wickets now a days.

More important to get a win .. than going down 2-0 and settle for 5-0 or 4-1.

[Napolean]

Originally Posted by sarv_shaktimaan

More important to get a win .. than going down 2-0 and settle for 5-0 or 4-1.

right.
India just can't win in Australia against Australia - this has become frustrating.

[sarv_shaktimaan]

HGMC .. lethargic batting and average bowling.. Uninspired the whole team is.. Captain seems without a spark. Why is Dhoni even playing? I don't recall a good knock from him outside india .. Team is paying tax for his historical achievements? at least 20-30 more were required, no urgency shown by batsmen.

[Napolean]

kat gaya.
I will be really surprised if this Indian team wins a single match in any format on this tour.
0-7 will be the scoreline going into WCT20.

[sarv_shaktimaan]

Originally Posted by Napolean

I will be really surprised if this Indian team wins a single match in any format on this tour.
0-7 will be the scoreline going into WCT20.

Jaywant Lele ki yaad dila di.. You remember his famously infamous words.

Originally Posted by Jaywant Lele

It was Lele who had predicted that India would suffer a 3-0 whitewash against Australia during their tour Down Under in 1999 with Sachin Tendulkar as captain and Kapil as coach. He, however, denied having predicted any scoreline later.

[sarv_shaktimaan]

MS Dhoni has lost 6 matches defending 300+ totals, the most be any skipper in ODI history.

[Napolean]

Kohli becomes fastest to 24 ODI tons and to 7000 ODI runs.

India lose the series 0-3 already.