Stats: How Virat Kohli fares with the most destructive batsmen in T20 cricket

Relative runs frequency vs Runs

Now here comes the analysis which will definitely put a smile on every Kohli fans’ face:

As you can see from the above plot that Virat Kohli has a better run-frequency % as compared to others. This can also be backed by the fact that at this very moment, Kohli has the highest average of 55.4 and beats the next one in the list, Finch (average is 38.79).

One may argue that average also depends on the number of not-outs, as a greater number of not outs increase the average, but at the same time, we should always remember that there have been numerous instances where Kohli has remained unbeaten until the end and has seen India through. Also, the level of consistency shown by the Delhi lad has been top-notch.

On their day, Gayle and ABD will murder any opposition down to dust, no questions on that, but such instances don't occur too often. How many times have we seen ABD and Gayle really winning the game on behalf of their team in knockouts?

Also, they have not been consistent in terms of their average in the shortest format. Thus, the future seems to hold a lot of glory for Kohli if he continues with his magical form.

Runs(1’s, 2’s, 3’s), 4’s and 6’s as % of Total Runs:

The above plot again provides evidence that Kohli has it in him to be the very best and be at par with other destructive batsmen in the world of T20. He overshadows the stalwarts like ABD and Gayle in terms of hitting 4’s. Thus, Kohli's % of runs scored by boundaries is much higher than Gayle, ABD and Finch.

Also, in terms of singles, 2’s and 3’s, he beats Gayle and Finch and is at par with ABD, who like Kohli, is a wonderful sprinter between the wickets. Thus, it reveals an interesting picture. On a given day, if the boundaries are hard to come by (due to bowler friendly pitch, strong bowling opposition), my money would be more on Kohli or ABD than on Gayle, as the West Indian hardly makes an effort to run between the wickets on most of the occasions and relies on his raw power to hit those sixes.

There are high chances of that tactic getting failed if the opposition plans well and bowls in the right areas, thus strangulating the opportunities for Gayle to score freely. Kohli exhibits the traits of a classical batsman, with his ability to run between the wickets and hitting 4’s, making him a consistent performer in all the versions of the game, and probably it gets easier for him to make that transition in an easier way than the rest.

Runs likelihood vs Balls Faced vs Minutes on crease:

Next, let's see how these batsmen fair in terms of runs likelihood:

Summary of Kohli 's runs scoring likelihood:There is a 24.32% likelihood that Kohli will make 48 Runs in 34 balls over 52 Minutes.There is a 48.65% likelihood that Kohli will make 19 Runs in 16 balls over 22 Minutes.There is a 27.03% likelihood that Kohli will make 68 Runs in 50 balls over 68 Minutes.

Summary of De Villiers 's runs scoring likelihood:There is a 40% likelihood that De Villiers will make 6 Runs in 6 balls over 7 Minutes.There is a 16.92% likelihood that De Villiers will make 57 Runs in 36 balls over 47 Minutes.There is a 43.08% likelihood that De Villiers will make 20 Runs in 16 balls over 23 Minutes.

Summary of Finch 's runs scoring likelihood:There is a 28% likelihood that Finch will make 64 Runs in 42 balls over 58 Minutes.There is a 68% likelihood that Finch will make 15 Runs in 12 balls over 18 Minutes.There is a 4% likelihood that Finch will make 156 Runs in 63 balls over 70 Minutes.

Summary of Gayle 's runs scoring likelihood:There is a 55.81% likelihood that Gayle will make 7 Runs in 8 balls over 13 Minutes.There is a 25.58% likelihood that Gayle will make 53 Runs in 36 balls over 53 Minutes.There is an 18.6% likelihood that Gayle will make 90 Runs in 51 balls over 84 Minutes.

Thus, the above summary again backs our belief on why Kohli is emerging as the next best thing in Indian, or rather world cricket at this moment. There is a 27% likelihood of him scoring 68 runs in 50 balls faced. Even on his “bad day at the office”, Kohli has a 49% likelihood of scoring 19 runs.

If you look at ABD or Gayle, there is a shocking revelation. ABD has a 40% likelihood of scoring six runs and Gayle has an alarming 56% likelihood of scoring seven runs. Finch, on the other hand, performs at par with Kohli (justifying his number one ranking maybe!). Thus, there are higher likelihoods of ABD and Gayle to bow out quickly in an inning rather than them scoring high, whereas Kohli, on the other hand, has a 24.32% likelihood of scoring 48 runs (match winning in most T20 scenarios).

Although in terms of scoring above 50, both Kohli and Finch display similar likelihoods, Kohli beats Finch comprehensively when their individual scores are low (48.65% likelihood that Kohli will make 19 Runs in 16 balls, compared to 68% likelihood that Finch will make 15 Runs in 12 balls). Thus, Kohli has a lower likelihood of scoring fairly low in an inning as compared to Finch.

We can conclude by saying that Kohli seems to be performing at par with the most destructive batsmen in T20, and in many scenarios, Kohli is indeed overshadowing his counterparts. Given the worldwide popularity of T20, and the packing of the international cricket calendar with more T20 matches, it would be safe to say that Kohli has, in him, all the potentials to rule over the opponents consistently, without losing his classical flair for a very long time.

Finally, wholehearted thanks to ESPNCRICINFO for meticulously collecting, processing and cleaning the data used and Mr. Ganesh for the ‘r package’ and the functions used, which made my life easier.