ODI is the format where Virat Kohli has ruled arbitrarily. Whatever the conditions, whoever the opposition, he spared nothing. By far, the best ODI batter of his generation, Virat is the potent claimant of being called as the greatest ODI batsman of all time. His records in the format are truly awe-inspiring, and many of those seem well out of reach of other batsmen around.
On average, more than 39 innings are taken to score a century in ODI cricket, but Kohli has scored an ODI century every 6th innings. Even great Sachin Tendulkar whose record for most ODI centuries is all but taken by Kohli, has scored an ODI hundred about every 10th innings.
Overall conversion rate (fifty to hundred) in ODI cricket is about 17%, while Virat Kohli has converted 41% of his half centuries into centuries. Sachin Tendulkar with about 34% is considerably behind Virat.
Chasing targets in ODI cricket were never easy or have not been easy unless Virat Kohli is part of the chasing team. With 26 centuries while chasing of which 22 of those came in wins, Virat has mastered the art of chasing in ODI cricket. With Virat being part of the playing XI, India successfully chased down targets in 97 ODIs, and Virat scored 22 centuries & 22 half-centuries in the 91 matches he got to bat. It should be noted that Virat is also pursuing Tendulkar’s record for most runs in a chase, as he is only 58 runs behind the record with 5432 runs.
But the stature seems to wither when it comes to the ODI World Cup. It is pertinent to mention the ODI World Cup here, as Virat has performed emphatically in WT20s. All the accolades mentioned above give the impression of being a little exaggerated when we look at Kohli’s numbers in the quadrennial tourney. Let’s have a detailed description in this regard.
World Cup Average-
When compared to the overall high-flown average of 57.38, Virat’s World Cup average of 46.81 seems unspectacular. His strike rate too drops to around 86 from overall 93.78 when he plays in the World Cup. But if we split this statistic for a purpose, it comes forth that Kohli’s average in World Cups has only got better. It was 35.25 in 2011, 50.83 in 2015 and 55.37 in 2019. So a good outing in the coming tournament can make the overall average flashy as well. Also, the reason for low average in WC 2011 was his uncertain batting position, as he batted between number 3 to 7 throughout the tournament.
Still, there should be no hesitation in saying that Virat could do more with the form he was in the period when WC 2015 & WC 2019 took place.
Centuries in World Cup-
Virat Kohli has scored centuries in ODI cricket for fun, but the same has not been the case when it comes to reaching three figures in the World Cup. Just two hundreds in 26 games is a sort of blemish in otherwise a career full of hundreds.
For someone who scored a century on his World Cup debut, scoring a solitary one in next 25 innings is quite baffling for fans. But the things are not as explicit as shown by mere numbers. Kohli also has 6 half centuries to his name, 5 of which came in consecutive games in WC 2019. His 82 vs Australia and 77 against Pakistan in 2019 ended in the final overs of the innings when he lost his wicket in search of big shots and due to lack of balls, a hundred was not on offer in those innings.
His next three half centuries in that tournament ended with him throwing his wicket out of nowhere, and this negligence cost him dearly. Five half centuries and no century in 2019 hurts more when you get to know that Virat had entered in that tournament with 19 centuries from his bat in the period between WC 2015 and WC 2019.
Knockout Curse in ODI World Cup-
Here comes the biggest nemesis of Virat Kohli. If we are talking about the knockout matches of WT20, there is no mash of Kohli. With scores of 72*, 77, 89* and 50 in 4 matches he played, Virat has tamed the challenge of WT20 knockouts. But the highest score of just 35 in 6 knockout matches in 50 overs World Cup is sort of an enigma for everyone.
In previous two tournaments, India’s journey ended in semi finals, with Kohli perishing with the scores of 1 & 1. Back to back dismal performances from the star player in high octane matches has allowed certain critics to doubt over his ability to perform in big matches.
It seems like a curse for Kohli to not be able to garner good numbers in World Cup knockouts because of his staggering performances in WT20 and Champions Trophy knockouts.
What’s ahead for Virat Kohli-
Kohli started his World Cup journey in 2011 on home soil. After 12 years, the marquee tournament has returned to India, and it could very well be the last World Cup for the star player. It can't be a better stage than this for Kohli to ameliorate his numbers and put hands on a long due ICC trophy.
At the moment, Virat may not be at the top of his batting powers like he was in 2019, but the advantage of home conditions can be helpful in his strive for greatness at this stage as well.
After a sedate period post WC 2019, which saw Kohli not getting a century for 25 consecutive innings and averaging in 30s, he has come back to the form he belongs. With 4 centuries in last 14 innings, including a masterful 122* off 94 balls against a full fledged Pakistan attack in Asia Cup, Virat Kohli is creating havoc once again for the opponents, and encouraging Indian fans to remain hopeful to see Kohli masterclass in the coming World Cup.
