T20 World Cup 2021: Virat Kohli is India's most successful batter in recent times against Pakistan in T20Is
Six matches, 254 runs at an average of 84.67, and a strike rate of 118.69 are some of the numbers associated with Virat Kohli ahead of India's T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan.
These stunning numbers show that he has been one of the most successful batters against the side in their recent encounters. Kohli has scored 169 runs in three innings and has remained unbeaten in all of those —78* off 61 balls (2012), 36* off 32 balls (2014), and 55* off 37 balls (2016).
This makes Virat Kohli the most dangerous batter Pakistan will be up against, even if his current form in T20Is has been quite dodgy.
T20 World Cup: A look at Virat Kohli's numbers
The Indian skipper has a staggering record in the T20 World Cup. He is India’s leading run-getter in the event with 777 runs from 16 games at a strike rate of 133.04 and an exceptional average of 86.33. He was named man of the series in T20 World Cup in the previous two editions in 2014 and 2016.
Kohli has an impeccable T20I record as well. He has amassed 3159 runs in 90 matches at a strike rate of 139.04 and an average of 52.65. His IPL record is equally impressive with 6283 runs from 199 matches at an average of 37.40.
Coming in at No.3 in the T20 World Cup, Kohli will look to consolidate the starts provided by openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, who are themselves forces to be reckoned with, with the former being in great nick.
As far as player battles go, one of our analysts had predicted an interesting battle between Virat Kohli and Shadab Khan.
"Kohli has had a fair share of issues with slow bowlers in the UAE. He looked like a sitting duck against Sunil Narine in the IPL 2021 Eliminator, and eventually perished going for a slog. Pakistan would have observed the Indian captain’s struggles, and would look to throw some tweaker challenges in the form of Shadab Khan."