IND v AUS 2020: Is the split captaincy debate affecting Virat Kohli's batting?

Note: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda.

Even in his current form, Virat Kohli is the best batsman in the world. He might have competition from Rohit Sharma, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson, but he is quite simply the most consistent, dominant batsman that we've seen in the modern game.

The Indian skipper has registered 43 ODI hundreds in 240 innings, which amounts to a ton every 5.5 innings. If that stat alone isn't mind-boggling enough, his ODI average stands at a Bradman-esque 59.14 (he averages over 50 in all 3 formats).

However, something inexplicable seems to be plaguing Virat Kohli's batting in recent times. We might be spoilt by the unparalleled consistency that Kohli has shown over the years, but the truth of the matter is that he has struggled to convert starts into truly big scores over the course of the past year or so. He has failed to score a ton in his last 10 ODI innings, with 3 single-digit scores to his name.

Virat Kohli's previous two ODI hundreds came in a row against the West Indies in August 2019. Before those two brilliant knocks was the 2019 World Cup, in which the skipper crossed fifty 5 times but failed to register a single century. In his last 24 ODI innings, he has managed only two centuries. For any other batsman, that would be a decent return, but not for Virat Kohli.

---

Virat Kohli has not looked like his authoritative self at the crease

Australia v India - ODI Game 1

Stats aside, Virat Kohli hasn't looked like his authoritative self at the crease. In the Indian Premier League season earlier this year, he seemed to have shrugged off an indifferent start with a match-winning innings against MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings.

But the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper failed to put in too many Man of the Match performances after that knock, and ended the season with only 466 runs at a strike rate of 121.35. Kohli was upstaged by Devdutt Padikkal, who finished as the team's leading run-scorer in the tournament at just 20 years of age.

The run-chase against Australia in the 1st ODI was even more bizarre. Virat Kohli is undoubtedly the master of the second innings in white-ball cricket, and no one in the history of the game (barring maybe prime MS Dhoni) has paced chases better. But Kohli seemed intent on trying to polish off the target in less than 40 overs, and played far too many shots too early in the piece.

For someone who times a run chase better than anyone else, Kohli seemed in a huge hurry...

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 27, 2020

The innings against Australia, which ended when Kohli was cramped by a short ball from Josh Hazlewood after dancing down the track, wasn't a one-off either. The 32-year-old has either gotten stuck at the crease or has tried to hit his away out of trouble that isn't even in, and a number of promising starts have been thrown away as a result.

---

Is the captaincy debate affecting Virat Kohli's batting?

Australia v India - ODI Game 1

In a normal scenario, there wouldn't be any basis to claim that split captaincy might be affecting Virat Kohli's batting, as the man himself has yet to comment on the proposition. But recent events, such as Rohit Sharma's 5th IPL title and Kohli's own failures in high-profile tournaments have escalated the situation.

Fuel has been added to the fire by the way Rohit's hamstring injury has been handled by the BCCI, its president Sourav Ganguly, Indian coach Ravi Shastri and Kohli himself. A detailed timeline of the injury saga reveals catastrophic breakdowns in communication, and it's safe to speculate that all's not well between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Kohli might not be feeling the effects of the debate directly, but numerous present and past cricketers have added their pinch of salt. Parthiv Patel, who has played under both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, threw his weight behind the latter to take over the T20I captaincy.

While these may be nothing but opinions, they will undoubtedly have an effect on Kohli, who prides himself on being the man India turn to during times of difficulty. And it might not be a coincidence that for the first time in many years, his batting is taking a slight dip.

Virat Kohli is one of the best batsmen ever, but he is human at the end of the day - even if his stats don't portray the same. The incessant talk surrounding split captaincy is only increasing, and the selection panel would do well to address the questions being raised at the earliest.

As of now, though, with Rohit Sharma absent from the limited-overs leg of the tour of Australia, Virat Kohli will look to lead his team to yet another famous win Down Under.