It is an issue that has haunted him in the past
For India, the T20 World Cup has provided three completely different matches.
While Ireland was a routine win, the Pakistan match had all the highs and lows that you can imagine from a much-anticipated encounter.
Meanwhile, the match against the USA was a battle of attrition in which India triumphed after enduring a few challenging phases.
But amid all this, one apparent concern is Virat Kohli’s form.
The thousands who filled the stands during these matches just wanted to see their favourite player perform well.
Scores of 1, 4 and 0 in three consecutive games is not something that we have seen too often from Kohli, who came into the World Cup on the back of some sublime performances in the IPL.
As an opener in the IPL, Kohli was very successful, prompting captain Rohit Sharma to book that slot for him in the T20 World Cup.
Sharma was also very categorical when he said that the only two “fixed” slots are his and Kohli’s.
The rest will move around “as per the situation”.
But in the matches against Ireland, Pakistan and the USA, Virat Kohli appeared unsure about where his off-stump is.
It is an issue that has haunted him in the past, notably during India’s 2014 tour of England, when he amassed just 137 runs in four Test matches.
However, that is now history and Kohli was able to turn things around against the moving ball.
Conditions in New York have been unique.
The ball has completely dominated the bat. It’s not just the movement but also the up-and-down nature of the track that has kept batters on their toes.
What could have gone against Kohli was the fact that he joined up with the national team a little late.
He missed the practice match against Bangladesh at the makeshift Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
Kohli subsequently went into the T20 World Cup slightly underprepared.
But the batting superstar has put in a lot of effort in the nets to get it sorted out.
Two days before the Pakistan game, he batted for almost two hours and everything seemed to be coming from the middle of the bat.
On the eve of the match against Pakistan, Rohit Sharma said:
“We know what Virat brings to the table and how good he can be.”
“Yes, he joined a bit late, but he is putting in all the hard work to get used to the conditions.”
Kohli has looked good at the nets but that form has not translated into performances at the World Cup for some reason.
With India’s final group game against Canada taking place in Miami, the big worry is that there is a serious threat of rain.
Due to this prospect, there could be a case where all their practice sessions are abandoned.
There is a question mark on the game itself on Sunday and that could mean Kohli might not get too much time to work on his batting before the Super-8s start.
Despite the concerns, India has enough belief in Kohli.
Shivam Dube, who also endured a bit of a rough patch, explained:
“Who am I to talk about Kohli? If he hasn’t got runs in three games, he may well get three hundreds in the next three and there will be no more discussions.”
Rohit Sharma has the option to bring in Yashasvi Jaiswal as his opening partner and drop Kohli down to his regular third spot.
But the captain doesn’t want to do that because he believes the former skipper is best suited at the top and the team will not be able to include four all-rounders if Kohli comes down the order.
It’s the faith the team management has in Kohli that has stopped them from making any harsh decisions.
It’s now on the batting great to flick on that switch which will once again make fans believe in the cliché that class is permanent.
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