Over Dependence on Virat Kohli: Scary Times For Indian Cricket?

The Indian batting now revolves against Virat Kohli, especially in limited-overs cricket.

Virat Kohli. (Photo: AP)

• The Indian batting now revolves around Virat Kohli, especially in limited-overs cricket.
  
• It is a throwback to the times in the 1990s when it was about Sachin Tendulkar.
  
• Everything now seems to be about Kohli and how he performs.
  

Any doubts about who will take the mantle of India’s leading limited-overs batsman was put to rest by Virat Kohli on Sunday night.

Numbers Don’t Lie

His appetite to score big runs in big chases marks him out as being different from other past Indian batsmen. We have had batsmen scoring daddy hundreds but never quite getting India over the line in the manner that Kohli has done in his career. His stats in limited-overs cricket are scary and will surpass the once invincible numbers of the maestro Sachin Tendulkar too. The Indian batting now revolves around Kohli, especially in limited-overs cricket, and that is a throwback to the times in the 1990s when it was about Tendulkar.

Depending on One Man

Now everything seems to be about Kohli and how he performs. This is a scary situation to be in even as it is a moment to celebrate for us as a country, as we enter yet another semi-final of an ICC event. The other batsmen- Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina have not really pulled their weight in this format for sometime now.

(Photo: AP)

Shadow of His Former Self

The other experienced batsman Yuvraj Singh has struggled to get going and seems like he is batting from memory at times. Yuvraj has just two more innings to save his international career. It is highly unlikely he will feature for India in ODI cricket. So Yuvraj, if he is fit, will have two more likely chances or his career is over for good.

Rahane Deserves a Look-in
The batting is meant to be India’s strength, but the over dependence on Kohli is a worrying sign. While we rejoice Kohli’s limited-overs magic, we must not lose sight of the fact that India needs more from the other batsmen. The captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni does not like to make changes to the playing XI. But if he was allowed one change, it is pretty certain that he can give Ajinkya Rahane a look-in. A correct batsman like Rahane against West Indies’ mixed bag attack will be a god-sent for India. But Dhoni is not known to make those big calls before any mega contests, so we will probably see more of the same.

(Photo: AP)

In a Class of His Own

For India’s sake we have to hope that Kohli has two more good days for the team to lift the World Twenty20 trophy for the first time in nine years. Kohli does not bludgeon you like Tendulkar or Virender Sehwag, or he is not as destructive as AB de Villiers or Chris Gayle, but Kohli gets the job done effortlessly. India is truly blessed to have Kohli.