Since Misbah-ul-Haq mistimed that ramp shot over fine leg in the final of the 2007 ICC World T20, India raised their expectations for themselves, as far as the shortest format of the game was concerned.
What followed, however, was stark reality kissing them in the face.
Over the next two editions of the tournament, the fact that the inaugural tournament glory had come as a fluke was plastered on billboards by some, when India, rather unceremoniously crashed out. of each of them.
It wasn’t a bad start by India in either of these tournaments, it was just that they couldn’t give their campaign the final push when it was needed the most, especially when it came down to chasing targets.
After winning the first two games (against Bangladesh and Ireland in 2009, and against Afghanistan and South Africa in 2010) India lost the remaining three games (against West Indies, England and South Africa in 2009, and against Australia, West Indies and Sri Lanka in 2010).
Four of these six defeats came while chasing targets. Clearly, India, back then, with all of their match-winners, lacked someone who could handle the pressure of run chases in crunch games, and guide the side to victory.
Virat Kohli: The run-chasing machine
The 2012 edition of the World T20 saw India treading on a similar path. They won their first two games against Afghanistan and England but lost to Australia eventually in the third game. Out of the next two, India had to win both to qualify for the knockouts.
The next game was against Pakistan, and although India’s neighbours were bowled out for a paltry 128, the chase still had to be done, especially after Gautam Gambhir was dismissed on the second ball of the innings.
A loss meant India’s elimination from the tournament, yet again, in the same frustrating manner. But Virat Kohli, who by then was well known for his affinity for runs, decided otherwise.
He had already scored a 50 against Afghanistan and a 40 against England, but it was this game, against Pakistan, that led the foundation for the ascendance of India's best batsman while chasing. He scored 78 off 61 with 8 boundaries and 2 sixes and guided India to victory.
Kohli had started making news through the IPL and through various other endeavours, but the lack of T20I that international teams played in between the world tournaments meant that his opportunity to establish himself as one of the pros of the format came in the next edition of the World Cup in 2014.
The best in India
The Delhi batsman made sure that this tournament was his crowning jewel, amassing 319 runs in 6 games with 4 fifties, and an average of 106. It was this tournament that propelled him to a league of his own and established him as the most prolific T20I batsman that India have had to this date.
What added the cherry to the cake was the fact that 4 of the 5 games that India won in that tournament were won while chasing targets, and Kohli top scored in all four of them. His scores from the ICC World T20 2014 read 36*, 54, 57*, 23, 72*, 77.
With a sample space of just 38 games, Kohli has 1368 runs to his name at a staggering average of 52.61, which, at the moment, is his highest amongst all three formats that he plays.
He is India’s highest run-getter in T20I already, way ahead of the likes of Yuvraj Singh (1082), Rohit Sharma (1204) and Suresh Raina (1162), all of whom started their T20I careers, at least three years before Kohli did, and have played three more T20 World Cups than Kohli has.
The best in the World
Having already said enough to prove Kohli’s credentials as the best T20I batsman of India, let us now have a look at his global competitors. Starting with the king of the mountain, Brendon McCullum, who is the most prolific T20I run scorer in history, with 2140 runs to his name.
McCullum scored 13 fifties in 70 innings while making those runs, while Kohli, as of this date, as the same number of fifties in half the number of innings. He has 13 fifties in 35 innings. Hence, he easily trumps McCullum in terms of the number of innings/ 30+ (or 50+) score.
Also, his batting average is several notches higher than that of McCullum, who averaged 35.66 at the culmination of his career. Agreed that McCullum played twice the number of matches that Kohli has, but the same logic makes it even harder for a batsman to maintain such an average.
Kohli ranks 12th in the list of all-time leading run-scorers in T20I but has scored more fifties than 9 of the 11 players above him, not to mention that he has the best average amongst all.
Only McCullum and Chris Gayle strike the ball at a better rate than Kohli amongst the top 12.
Kohli’s contributions in Indian victories has been immense, and in the last 8 T20I games that he has played for India, he has top scored in 6 of them.
Not to mention that India have won all of these 8 games- three against Australia in January (wherein he scored 90*, 59*, and 50), and all five games in their successful Asia Cup campaign.
In these 8 games, all of them played in 2016, he has accumulated 352 runs at a mind-boggling average of 117.33, and a strike rate of 134.35 with 4 fifties, which ridiculously amazing. While chasing in all T20I, his batting average is 84.22, comfortably ahead of any other T20I batsman with a substantial number of innings.
Such has been Kohli’s domination, that he now holds the record for scoring three back-to-back fifties in T20I. Only Gayle and McCullum have scored more half-centuries (4) on a trot.
He was the most prolific run scorer in the last edition of the World T20 and is on his way towards doing the same this year as well. A T20 batsman is generally evaluated based on his prowess with the bat, the ability to handle pressure, and win matches for his country.
Virat Kohli comfortably satisfies all these conditions, and his numbers indicate that he does his better than his other global counterparts. Hence, it would not be an understatement to state Kohli as the most prolific T20 batsman in the world.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
