5 Reasons why Virat Kohli makes chasing ridiculously easy

Indian captain Virat Kohli is undoubtedly the greatest chaser in the history of cricket. More often than not, most crumble under pressure while chasing the big targets, but Virat Kohli has enjoyed it. His numbers while chasing targets are just mind-boggling.

In ODIs, while chasing, he has scored 6430 runs in 123 innings at an incredible average of 68.40 with the help of 24 centuries. In T20Is while chasing in 27 innings, he has scored 1231 runs at an average of 82, which is scarcely believable.

Another great quality he has is that he not only scores runs when his team is chasing but also he guides his team home or does more than enough to get his team over the line.

Here are 5 reasons why the Indian skipper makes chasing look ridiculously easy.

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#1 Incredible Fitness

Virat Kohli is currently one of the fittest crickter in the world

In high drama & high-pressure situations, one not only needs to have an array of strokes, but also has to be incredibly fit. Only then can someone survive such tense situations.

Virat Kohli is incredibly fit not only mentally, but physically as well. He might not be the most prolific boundary hitter in the world but the game has seen few players who are better at accumulating runs than Virat is. His brilliant ability to place the ball in open spaces is coupled with his game awareness and running between the wickets which is second to none.

It is his fitness which allows him to convert the 1’s into 2’s & 2’s into 3’s. You will often see Virat running the first run very hard which puts pressure on the fielders which may result in a fumble, and within a flash Virat is on the other side of the crease. Such instances do matter a lot in pressure situations where every run is important.

His incredible fitness level is what allows him to do this consistently match after match. The most notable example is his running between the wickets against West Indies in WT20 2016 where he batted at a brilliant strike rate without relying heavily on the boundaries. That’s his game.

#2 Always Keeping Up With The Required Run Rate

Virat Kohli against Sri Lanka at Hobart in 2012

Very rarely does Virat play too many dot balls consecutively. That is the case irrespective of whether he is new to the crease after the early demise of an opener or he is batting in the middle overs. If not hitting boundaries, he is always rotating the strike.

As mentioned above, his fitness and ability to rotate the strike on a consistent basis means that he rarely misses out on any run-scoring opportunity. The margin for error for his opponents is very small.

His one eye is always on scoreboard and the required run rate seldom goes beyond reach when he is batting. At times, if it is increasing at an alarming rate, he will pick his gaps and try to put pressure back on the bowling team and try to force them to change their plans.

He does all this by staying within his game plan and without taking any risk.

#3 He loves to construct an innings

Virat Kohli against West Indies

On several occasions, Virat has mentioned the fact that he is not the best boundary hitter and relies heavily on singles and doubles. Even in his big hundreds, you will see that most of his runs are in singles and doubles. It’s only when the target is near or when conditions demand, that he will try and hit a few boundaries.

What allows him to do this is his technique. He has a very basic copy book and orthodox technique. He is well aware of his abilities and limitations as a batsman. His risk-free cricket is the reason why when India is able to successfully chase a target down, Virat is often at the crease right at the very end.

Many times, a set batsman getting out leads to a batting collapse. Virat knows that once set, it’s his responsibility to anchor the chase and be there till the end. It’s his simple yet incredible playing style which allows him to go through an innings without taking risks, and he is therefore able to see his team home.

#4 Picking the Right Bowlers to attack

Virat Kohli and James Faulkner

Most of the time, when a wicket falls early or at a crucial point of the game, a bowler or 2 from the bowling team are in a middle of a good spell and are harder to score off.

If a batsman tries scoring runs against them and takes a couple of risks, he might get out and this puts his team under pressure, especially while chasing big targets.

With Virat, you will very rarely see the desperation of scoring runs or breaking the shackles when he is not getting runs. He understands the importance of getting through a good spell of bowling and gives respect to the bowler who is bowling well and is on a bit of a roll.

He backs himself to do the scoring against inferior or out-of-form bowlers and is often able to do it successfully.

#5 He loves the challenge

Virat Kohli during his 183 against pakistan

There are some people who love challenges being thrown at them because they enjoy them. Virat is one of those people. The bigger the challenge, the hungrier Virat is to overcome it.

He thrives in the pressure and in the big moments. What allows him to do this is his strong mental power. No matter how skilled a player is, no matter how many shots he has in his arsenal, he can execute them in such high pressure situations only if he has belief in his own abilities and has confidence that he can do it.

Virat has plenty of it, and notable examples include the way he fought back at Adelaide in 2015 after being hit on the helmet by Mitchell Johnson, and him smashing James Faulkner all around the park after being involved in sledging. Such moments & challenges seem to bring the best out of Virat Kohli.