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It was not supposed to end like this.
The effervescent, perennially animated figure, who once darted from one end of the ground to another, pushing his vocal cords to the limit in every celebratory exertion, now cut a desolate, dispirited figure.
At the seventeenth time of asking, as has been the case in the previous sixteen occasions, Virat Kohli could not lay his hands on the trophy. The perpetual bridesmaid – always an enchanting highlight in the opulent wedding, but never walking down the aisle.
It was not supposed to end like this, or was it? For, this is how it has always ended for Kohli in the IPL, with RCB, despite their unswerving fans and their unceasing support, has never won the trophy.
It is only right that the individuals’ contributions are scrutinised after a team’s failure, but the case of RCB and Kohli is an exception.
He scored 741 runs in 15 matches, at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.70, with one century and five half-centuries to his name. No other batter has reached even the 600-run mark this season. Moreover, Kohli is the only batter with 500+ runs to boast an average north of 60.
That shot helped him score a 44-ball 70 against Gujarat Titans, after which Kohli stated:
In a harsh twist of irony, the slog-sweep triggered Kohli’s downfall in the Eliminator, but it served as a testament to his willingness to improve.
Among the Travis Heads and Sunil Narines – known predominantly for their power-hitting prowess in the powerplay overs – Kohli, usually considered in the more elegant variety, held his own in terms of strike rate.
Highest strike rates in powerplay in IPL 2024 (batters with 300+ runs):
Travis Head – 216.29
Abhishek Sharma – 206.92
Virat Kohli – 161.47
Faf du Plessis – 159.28
Till last season, Kohli opted to deal with the spinners predominantly in singles. Now that such an approach is considered anachronistic, he also moulded his approach in accordance with the desideratum.
How Virat Kohli’s numbers against spin improved in IPL 2024:
Strike rate vs spin from IPL 2008 to IPL 2023 – 117.7
Strike rate vs spin in IPL 2024 – 137.1
Balls per boundary vs spin from IPL 2008 to IPL 2023 – 9.1
Balls per boundary vs spin in IPL 2024 – 7.2
Speaking about Kohli’s evolution as a batter, RCB coach Andy Flower commented:
On Wednesday (22 May), Kohli also became the first-ever cricketer to score 8000 runs in IPL. As in the orange cap leaderboard, the 35-year-old has a cushion here as well, with no batter having scored 7000 runs yet.
Leading run-scorers in IPL history:
Virat Kohli – 8004
Shikhar Dhawan – 6769
Rohit Sharma – 6628
David Warner – 6565
Suresh Raina – 5528
But, his 741 runs were good enough for only a playoffs qualification. His 639 runs in IPL 2023 were good enough for only the sixth place. His 973 runs in IPL 2016 – a staggering number unlikely to be bettered anytime soon – were good enough for only the runners-up medal.
On most occasions where he needed to step up, he did. On those rare occasions he could not, barely anyone could, like the last match. Despite scoring only 33 runs, he ended up being the team’s second-highest run-scorer on the night.
Yet, whilst changing nationality is not a possibility, Kohli could opt to change his IPL team – a suggestion floated by Kevin Pietersen:
Will we see Kohli in another franchise, or can he lift the trophy by staying in RCB? Will this tragedy of a one-man army in a team sport have further instalments?
Answers will be known later. For now, cue the Linkin Park song again.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)