Virat Kohli has achieved almost all there is to accomplish on a personal level in the world of cricket. The 33-year-old has set the standard for batsmen in world cricket across all three formats over the last 10 years due to his talent at the crease. Whereas Steve Smith and Joe Root have not made a decisive impact in T20 cricket, Kohli has excelled in the shortest format to separate himself from his contemporaries at the top of the game.
Kohli also succeeded as a captain where Smith and Root failed, delivering success for the India Test side to lead them to the top of the world, winning series in all conditions and countries. His accomplishments with the bat have even put great Indian players of the past into the shade, boasting a higher ODI average than the great Sachin Tendulkar, and is on course to score more centuries.
The 33-year-old also scored more double-centuries than the legendary batter, notching seven over the course of his career. There is still more than enough time for Kohli to enhance his legacy on the world now that he has handed over captaincy duties to Rohit Sharma, which will ease the pressure on his shoulders.
Perhaps the one element where Kohli has not thrived has been to bring success to his team in terms of a world title. India was beaten by New Zealand in English conditions in the final of the World Test Championship in 2021, which appeared to favor the Black Caps rather than Kohli’s men. However, India has also underwhelmed in the World T20, crashing out in the Group Stage in 2021 and the semi-finals in 2016. It was the same story in the 50-over World Cup, losing out in the last four to New Zealand in 2019 and Australia in 2015. India has not been able to rise to the occasion since 2011 when they triumphed on home soil when Kohli was an upstart in the ranks at the age of 22.
It has not just been the case at the international level, but also in the Indian Premier League. Kohli has been a permanent fixture with Royal Challengers Bangalore since the inaugural IPL season in 2008. Despite his record-breaking achievements in the competition, RCB is yet to win the IPL, finishing as runners-up on three occasions in 2009, 2011, and 2016. Since 2016 they have largely underachieved, despite boasting Kohli in their ranks along with a slew of talented players.
The 2022 campaign appears to be following a similar pattern, with odds of around 5.00 for RCB to win the tournament through the best IPL betting sites such as Parimatch and BetTarget. Kohli could lead his team to glory, but he himself has struggled for form. The pressure of leading the team in such a tournament has gotten to the 33-year-old in the past. For one reason or another, he has not been able to elevate his form in the key moments. Even in 2016 when he scored a mammoth 973 runs in 16 matches at an average of 81.08, RCB was not able to get over the line, suffering an agonizing defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.
The longer the drought has continued, the more it has appeared to weigh on RCB and Kohli. The 2022 season could be his lowest ebb yet, with the 33-year-old in dire need of a spark to rekindle his best form to lead his team on a surge to the post-season.
