2014 vs 2018: What has changed for Virat Kohli in England

When Virat Kohli landed on the shores of England he had a huge burden on his shoulders to achieve success for his team as well score runs, which he failed miserably last time around. Right now, Virat Kohli is the best batsman in the ongoing Test series between England and India. Currently, he is standing on top of the tree in terms of the leading run scorers with an impeccable average of 486 runs at an average of 486 runs.

His run-scoring streak not only improved his performance but also rubbed onto his teammates who delivered some brilliant performances which helped Team India to give a tough fight to the home team. The likes of Pujara, Dhawan, Ashwin and Ishant Sharma who had a mediocre series last time around, turned the screws this time and showcased their performances, which led to Team India’s impressive performances in the Test series so far.

Virat Kohli has undoubtedly been the best batsman so far, his 2 centuries and 2 half centuries have laid a solid platform for the team to progress ahead in the game. But what made the difference from a terrible Virat Kohli, who would virtually get out to any delivery outside off stump in 2014 to a Virat Kohli who negate the same delivery with ease? Well, let us look at the 3 factors that turned the tide for the prolific Indian captain.

#1 Battle won against James Anderson

In order to succeed in England, you would need to first succeed against James Anderson. Jimmy is undoubtedly one among the best fast bowler in the world currently and is the most prolific fast bowler after Glenn McGrath.

When India toured England last time, they were easily ripped apart by the fast bowlers of England. James Anderson picked up 25 wickets in the 5 match series with an average of 20.60. He dismissed Virat Kohli 4 times in 5 Test matches and the Indian stalwart had no clue what was happening around him.

With a relentless James Anderson, beating him the ball by ball Virat Kohli was all at sea and this lead to him having a miserable series with an average of 13.40.

Things took a turn this time around, as Virat was well prepared and played according to the merit of the bowler. Right from the first Test, Kohli left deliveries outside the off stump instead of poking and jabbing at them.

You could clearly make out the determination to succeed and not to give his wicket away. So far, James Anderson couldn’t pick up Virat Kohli’s wicket and surely Kohli has the upper hand as of now.

#2 Change in batting technique

Virat Kohli’s poor form in 2014 was largely due to his batting technique and stance. His batting techniques lead to his misery as he would get out to a ball that would swing away after pitching.

Many critics have written him and off and few have questioned his ability to play in swing-friendly conditions. This didn’t deter him; he worked on his technique and brought about a lot of changes. He brought about change to his closed stance and that helped him notch up 4 centuries in Australia that followed after.

Since then there was no looking back for Virat Kohli as he got better with series after series due to an improved batting technique.

In the current series, Virat Kohli has been largely successful in negating both the outswingers and inswingers, which had been his nemesis last time around. His ability to leave the deliveries outside off and play cautiously has been admirable.

#3 Captaincy an added advantage

Sometimes the burden of captaincy can get the better of an individual and could lead to failures. From the past, we have seen many captains giving up on the mantle to ensure that their batting doesn’t get affected. However, Virat Kohli has become better batsman in Test cricket ever since he took up the responsibility.

We have seen him notching up tons of runs in the 2016-17 home series against England, New Zealand and Bangladesh, which was his initial term of captaincy. Also in the recent South African series, Virat Kohli was the top run scorer in the hard-fought Test series that ended up 2-1 to South Africa.

The captaincy has added more responsibility on his shoulders and in turn, this brought more success to his batting.

While England was his final frontier to conquer, the majestic Indian batsman started off the series in style with a century in Edgbaston under the tough circumstance. This itself proofs that the man has redeemed himself and is a complete cricketer by now.