Asia Cup 2022: 3 reasons why the tournament is a great platform for Virat Kohli to return to form

Team India batter Virat Kohli will make his much-awaited return to the side during the upcoming Asia Cup, which will be played in the UAE from August 27 to September 11. The right-handed batter was named in the 15-member squad for the continental event, which is being viewed as preparation for the T20 World Cup in Australia later in the year.

Kohli’s form has been a massive cause of concern for a while now. The current team management, as well as a lot of former cricketers from India and across the globe, have been backing the struggling batter. At the same time, his detractors are also increasing with every failure of his.

While a poor showing in the Asia Cup might not hamper his chances of representing India in the T20 World Cup, it will definitely put some doubt among the team’s think tank and fans. Thus, it will be crucial for Kohli to have a good campaign.

In this feature, we look at three reasons why the T20 tournament is a great opportunity for the former Indian captain to rediscover his lost touch.

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#1 Kohli will be up against relatively weaker bowling attacks

The former Indian captain has a great record in the Asia Cup. Pic: Getty Images

With due respect to all teams, the bowling attacks that Kohli will encounter during the Asia Cup won’t be as lethal as the ones he faced in South Africa and England. Apart from India, Pakistan have highly competitive bowlers. However, the same cannot be said about Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

During the ODI series in South Africa at the start of the year, Kohli got runs but did not look fluent at all because the quality of bowling tied him down. In England, the pace and movement kept troubling the right-hander. On almost every occasion, he was found out as he went fishing outside off stump.

The surfaces in the UAE will be a lot more batter-friendly. There won’t be a lot of movement off the wicket or in the air. As such, Kohli can play himself in and look to spend some time at the crease. As so many pundits have been saying over the last year now, it’s just about getting that one big knock for Kohli.

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#2 He has very good T20I records against Asians sides

The batter in action during the T20 World Cup. Pic: Getty Images

Psychologically as well, the Asia Cup could boost Kohli’s confidence. He has an excellent record in T20Is against most Asian sides. He will look to maintain that edge while heading out to the middle during the UAE event.

The former Indian skipper has scored 311 runs in seven T20Is against Pakistan at an average of 77.75. Against Sri Lanka, he has smashed 339 in seven games at an average of 84.75. Speaking of his T20I record against Bangladesh, Kohli has hammered 124 runs in four games, averaging 64.50. Finally, versus Afghanistan, he has played one T20I innings in which he has scored a half-century.

The numbers make it pretty clear that Kohli enjoys taking on bowlers from the sub-continent. At his peak, he was incredible all over the globe. But given the lack of confidence and the obvious fact that he is past his prime, the Asia Cup might just be what the doctor ordered for the woefully out-of-form batter.

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#3 He should be fresh after a decent break

The 33-year-old had a disastrous tour of England. Pic: Getty Images

Whether or not giving Kohli an extended break from international cricket following the England series was the right decision is debatable. He missed the entire tour of West Indies, comprising three ODIs and five T20Is. The star batter is not part of the squad for the ODI series against Zimbabwe as well. Immediately after the IPL, Kohli also sat out of the home T20Is against South Africa.

He was part of the South African tour at the start of the year and even featured in the entire IPL 2022 edition, where he registered three golden ducks. Kohli also had a disastrous time in England across the three formats, managing a highest score of 20 from six international innings on the tour.

One silver lining for Kohli is that the Asia Cup begins towards the end of August. It will be more than a month after he last played an international game - the third ODI against England at Old Trafford in Manchester.

While away from the sport, the cricketer would have had ample time to reflect on where he has gone wrong. The big question is, will he be able to implement the desired changes and finally turn the tide in his favor?

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