When Virat Kohli Faced Rare Hurdles After A Setback In T20 Series Against England

Rajgeeta Yadav

image-lrd5vvxzFormer skipper, Virat Kohli [Twitter.com]

In 2017, Virat Kohli, the former Indian captain, found himself in an unusual spot during the T20 series against England. Having led Team India to comprehensive victories in the Test and ODI series, Kohli decided to open the batting with KL Rahul. However, what followed was a rare dip in form, as he managed scores of 29, 21, and 2, finishing the series with an average of 17.33.

The backdrop of this story is the overall success of the Indian cricket team, securing a 4-0 win in the Test series and a 2-1 win in the ODI series against England. The final match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium witnessed India's triumph with a 2-1 series win in the Twenty20 International series, highlighted by Yuzvendra Chahal's record-breaking performance with 6/25.


Despite the team's success, Kohli's individual struggle in the T20 series cast a shadow. The captain, known for his consistent form, faced criticism during the post-match press conference. Responding to a journalist's question about his poor form as an opener.

Here's what kohli said:

 “In the 2016 Indian Premier League, I had made four hundreds while opening the batting. At that time, no one said anything. People said what a revelation I was. Now, suddenly, I did not score runs in the last three matches and there are problems.”

Kohli, defending his credentials, reminded everyone of his spectacular performance in the IPL 2016, where he exhibited Bradmanesque form, amassing 973 runs in 16 games at an average of 81. Opening the batting, he had smashed four centuries, including a maiden T20 hundred and a brilliant 108 against MS Dhoni’s Rising Pune Supergiants.