3 reasons why India is missing vintage Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli's extended slump is slowly becoming a growing concern for the Indian Cricket Team. The distinguished all-format batter has been far from his best in recent times, struggling to score runs like he used to.

What started out as the wait for an international century slowly turned into misery with the former Indian captain and his fans. So much so that everyone is wondering if vintage Kohli will ever return.

He last scored a century in a Day-Night Test against Bangladesh in 2019. The Royal Challengers Bangalore player has not been at the peak of his powers in recent times. Not only is that a concern for him personally but also for the Indian side, who sometimes miss the modern-day great.

In this article, we take a look at three reasons why the Indian Cricket Team is missing the vintage Virat Kohli aka The King.

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#1 Vintage Kohli was a run-machine

"Form is temporary, class is permanent" is frequently used to define some of the best players in the sport. In Kohli's case, it's certainly true.

The former Indian captain was a run-machine before he got into a slump. Not to say he didn't have a few bad patches, but The King always managed to find a way to bounce back. An average of above 50 in all three formats was unheard of before he managed to do it.

It's odd that we witnessed the Delhi batter at his best when the Indian team didn't have the perfect balance in their side. At his best, he carried the side at times. Now with him struggling, the side around him has evolved and is flourishing.

With Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant at the forefront of this new Indian side, they've been doing the heavy lifting in recent series.

If India are to win their first piece of major silverware since 2013 though, they need the run-machine back to become a formidable side. One can only imagine what a fully fit and firing Indian side could be capable of.

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#2 Master of run-chases

Virat Kohli has a number of successful runchases under his belt. One of them was the T20 World Cup game against Pakistan, when Mohammed Amir had India in a spot of bother. Another memorable chase of his was against Australia in Mohali. Be it these two, or any other chase, the Delhi batter just knew how to win the game for his side while chasing a target.

His excellent record in run chases earned him the nickname 'Chase Master'. Of his 43 ODI centuries, 26 came while chasing, with India losing just seven of those matches.

The T20 World Cup and the 50-over World Cup are not far away now. Hence, India will need their superstar and senior players' experience to come to the fore in these big games.

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#3 The Kohli aura

Much like MS Dhoni brought a sense of calm to his Indian side after he gave up the captaincy, Kohli has had a similar effect on the current team. He is the team's global superstar who leads by example. No matter the kind of form, he is still one of the most prized wickets for the opposition side.

He is still one player most sides are scared or worried about. With him in the side, the team knows they'll always have someone to fight fire with fire. A lot has been said about his on-field behavior, with people labeling him overenthusiastic and what not because of his antics.

In reality, India perhaps need a bit of that. That's what he has always brought to the team, right since making his debut.

Call it arrogance or controlled aggression, he is the 120 percent man. He always puts everything on the line to win the game, which is just what the dressing room needs.