3 concerning statistics regarding Virat Kohli's recent ODI form
The second ODI between Team India and Bangladesh on Wednesday, December 7, provided Virat Kohli with an excellent opportunity to get back amongst the runs in the 50-over format.
After skipper Rohit Sharma suffered a finger injury while fielding, India needed someone to partner Shikhar Dhawan. Kohli, who usually bats at No. 3, was moved to the top of the order as the Men in Blue began their chase of 272. He even started off well, clipping his first ball through the leg-side for a boundary.
However, Kohli lasted just six balls as he inside-edged a pull off Bangladesh pacer Ebadot Hossain onto his stumps. With the dismissal, his dismal run in ODIs in 2022 continues. Even in the series opener against the Tigers, the star batter managed only nine runs.
On that note, here are three concerning statistics regarding Virat Kohli's recent ODI form.
#3 Virat Kohli doesn't have an ODI century since 2019
Virat Kohli has 43 centuries in ODI cricket. If there's anyone who knows what it's like to play big innings in the format, it's him. However, the batter hasn't been able to scale the three-figure mark since August 2019, when he notched up consecutive hundreds against the West Indies.
Kohli has three 80-plus scores since then, but a century has eluded him in the format. In fact, it eluded him across formats for around three years before he managed to achieve the feat in the 2022 Asia Cup against Afghanistan. The metronomic ton-scoring that the former Team India skipper used to be associated with has been sorely missing.
#2 Virat Kohli's strike rate is the lowest it has been in a calendar year since 2008
In his first year in international cricket, Virat Kohli played five ODIs. He amassed 159 runs in those games at an average of 31.8 and a strike rate of 66.53. Since then, the 34-year-old has managed a strike rate above 80 in every calendar year until 2021.
Unfortunately, things have gone horribly wrong over the last 12 months. In 10 innings, Kohli now has a strike rate of 73.82 and has hit only 21 fours. The fact that he has hit no sixes in ODIs this year shouldn't come as a surprise.
In a game that constantly demands faster run-scoring, Kohli has regressed. Although he showed improved intent in a few games, especially in the series against the West Indies, he has been far from fluent.
#1 Virat Kohli's average is 18.9 in 2022
If his strike rate makes for unimpressive reading, his average is just woeful. Virat Kohli has averaged just 18.9 in 2022, with only two fifties to his name. To put that into perspective, he has averaged less than 40 in only two years (2008 & 2015) of his 15-year-long ODI career.
Kohli's scores in 2022 read 51, 0, 65, 8, 18, 0, 16, 17, 9, and 5. He has crossed the 20-run mark only twice in 10 innings, with two ducks and three single-digit scores. There's no doubt that he's in a terrible run of form in ODIs at the moment.