Virat Kohli is without a doubt one of the leading batsmen in the world today, and his consistency across all format in cricket has been a real success story. After dominating the Indian Premier League, in which he scored 4 centuries, Kohli continued his form into the Test matches and went on to score his maiden Test match double century against West Indies.
His record in Limited overs format is almost unparalleled as after 171 matches, the combative batsman has scored as many as 25 centuries, a majority of which have been match-winning efforts. He has become a complete cricketer and has almost all the strokes in the book which has made him a potent force in almost all conditions.
Here in this list, we take a look at 5 cricketing strokes played by Kohli which makes him stand head and shoulders above the rest.
# Cover Drive
The Virat Kohli cover drive is a joy to behold. His ability to lean into the stroke and then transfer all his weight on to his front foot is precise and potent. Also, he picks up length perfectly and this allows him to get over the ball and allow the ball to come under his eyes, one of the main criteria to play a fluent cover drive.
Although, he has been troubled outside off stump in Test matches, more so in England, Kohli has not stopped playing his patent stroke. He has adjusted his stance and now stands out of the crease to counter any late swing, and this has made his cover drive a more assured stroke.
# Flick off the pads
When Kohli burst onto the international scene, his ability to flick balls from middle and off was a real spectacle. He has a bottom hand grip and this allows his to work the ball from the stumps towards the mid-wicket region with a lot of control.
Much like many subcontinent players, Kohli has carried on the mantle of leg side flick forward and his balance and poise at the crease while playing the flick is one of his main secrets while playing the stroke.
Having supple wrists and a whiplash like finish has made this stroke a real accumulator of runs for Kohli across all formats. Also, this stroke is a great way to manoeuvre fields manipulate the plans of the opposition.
# Pull/Hook
Playing a pull or hook has never been a natural stroke for Indian batsmen, but the recent crop of batsmen seem to be at home while countering pace and bounce as they are more adept at playing the cross-batted strokes.
Virat Kohli is perhaps one of the best pullers in the team, and seldom does he perish while playing this stroke. And to think of it, he did not have the game to counter nasty bouncers when he started off, this stroke has only enhanced his prowess.
His troubles against the short ball were such that he had to be dropped in 2011 when he was worked over by West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards. But the grit and determination of the man made him put in the hard yards to iron out this major flaw in his batting.
Rahul Dravid who has seen Kohli's progress through the ranks, said, " “Kohli was a walking wicket against bouncers then. Six months later I saw him and that problem was gone. He had sorted it out".
India's Test skipper is now ready to take on the fastest of bowlers as he does not take a backward step but is more than willing to take on the bowling chest on.
# Square Cut
Kohli does not quite play this stroke as frequently as the cover drive, but when he does it is an absolute treat to watch. He stands tall and plays the ball very late, almost as the ball passes him, which allows him to find the gap behind point, and more often than not accumulates runs.
Like many other batsmen who play the cut shot with much more aplomb, Kohli does shape up to cut with an entirely horizontal bat but gets it at an angle which is somewhere between a punch through the covers and the full-fledged cut. This allows him to find the gap between gully and point, and sometimes he can also place the ball through the covers.
The secret lies in the balance and his ability to maintain his poise even while reaching for the ball. Cut that Kohli!
# Inside out stroke over covers
One of the best possible ways to counter spin is to have a nifty footwork, as this allows the batsman to get close to the pitch of the ball and then act accordingly. Indians have been proficient players of spin and their ability to decipher the spin and turn has allowed them to dominate spinners.
Virat Kohli has taken the baton forward and for all his ability against fast bowling, his aptitude to get stuck into the spinners has made him an absolute nightmare for bowlers all around the world. One stroke which stands out is his inside-out stroke over covers to the spinners. He not only comes out but also makes room to allow his hands to take over and then lifts the ball over covers away from the reach of long off and sweeper cover.
Apart from the spinners, Kohli does no hesitate to play this stroke against fast bowlers and is all boils down to his belief and solid base while taking a stance.
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