What If Virat Kohli Flops On West Indies Tour?
Virat Kohli will be under the pump in WI Tests [Source: AP]
After suffering a heart-wrenching defeat in the World Test Championship final, India will begin their much-awaited tour of the West Indies on July 12. This series is significantly crucial from India's perspective, as it will give them a golden opportunity to start the third WTC cycle emphatically and gain momentum before the ODI World Cup scheduled at home later this year.
Meanwhile, it will also be a litmus test for legendary Indian batter Virat Kohli, who will be desperate to prove his mettle in red-ball cricket. With the wind of transition blowing Cheteshwar Pujara away and Ruturaj Gaikwad knocking at the doors, Kohli must aim at a Test resurgence.
But what if the talisman fails to deliver?
What If Virat Kohli Flops On West Indies Tour?
Talking about stats, Virat Kohli has been one of the most prolific performers against West Indies, amassing 3083 runs in the longer formats at a superb average of 58.16. However, he doesn't possess a great Test record in the Caribbean, managing 463 runs at a sub-par average of 35.62. Besides Antigua, King Kohli hasn't lived upto the expectations in any Caribbean venue.
So, if we go by stats, it won't be a cakewalk for Kohli to score a truckload of runs in the West Indies Tests. But even if he blows hot and cold in the series, we expect the Indian management to persist with him in red-ball format due to the factors mentioned below.
1) Team India under transition
When a team undergoes transition, it's essential to keep some veteran players in the squad, as the youngsters take some time to adhere to the demands of international cricket. As India have already moved on from Cheteshwar Pujara, they need their most experienced batter and former captain to guide and prepare the future generation for the upcoming WTC cycle.
2) Leadership experience
Virat Kohli was outstanding as Test skipper [Source: Twitter]
As we have seen, India's regular skipper Rohit Sharma has been struggling with his fitness for quite a while now. Furthermore, their reinstated vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is yet to prove his consistency with the bat in Tests.
Considering these two factors, Virat Kohli could act as a bridge in the leadership group in the coming times and could play a crucial role for India in the South Africa series. He has been India's most successful batter on South African soil and deserves to play there even if he doesn't score too many runs in the Caribbean.
3) The confidence factor
Despite struggling to score daddy hundreds in Tests, Kohli has been a consistent performer in ODIs, amassing 1289 runs at a healthy average of 41.58 since 2020. If he gets dropped from the Test side, it might hamper his confidence and hence India's run in the ODI World Cup scheduled on home soil later this year.
So, considering it's the World Cup year and Kohli's importance for the ODI side, the team management must ensure he enters the mega event as a confident man.
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