The art of letting go: Virat Kohli trapped in quicksand with a monkey on his back
'Edged and taken' is now a phrase most affiliated with Virat Kohli. The aura of the ace batter is diluted with each dismissal where he falls prey to the infamous fourth stump line.
However, this was not a problem from day one in his case. A batter's career is far from smooth sailing as cracks and weaknesses are inevitable, but in Kohli's case, the puzzling fact is that - how did it get to such a state where he seems so helpless, and resigned?
A young Virat Kohli was cruising in his red-ball career, a relatively smooth journey across his first 24 appearances. 1721 appearances at an average of 46.51, the prestigious No.4 position sealed, things could not be any better, until a fateful tour of England in 2014 kicked in.
By the end of the five-match affair after being introduced to Anderson and Duke's formally, that average dropped to 39.57. The plunge in numbers was not a concern; that saw a spike soon after. But what was concerning was the fact that his near-perfect algorithm was infiltrated with an unwelcome bug - the zone of uncertainty outside the off-stump.
By principle, the top of the off-stump and the fourth-fifth stump line are the ones coaches actively encourage bowlers to bowl, right from an early age, to make it their go-to line. These deliveries are not alien, but for some reason, have affected Kohli more than it ideally should.
At this point, it has become an issue that is very hard to ignore. It is not a rough patch, not a phase, but something associated with his identity now, easily available to be exploited. This persisting issue has even tampered with his reputation to a great extent because his flaws are spoken as loud as his laurels, if not more these days.
On that note, let us try to decode Virat Kohli's 'edged and taken' deja vu routine.
Kohli and the backwards law connection
Former India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik, someone who has worked closely with Kohli for the last three years in particular, had an interesting insight regarding the problem at hand.
He opined that Kohli was over-thinking the off-side issue, citing the example of a 'pink elephant.'
"Now with Virat Kohli, I think the story is he is going to a different problem, which is a very sure shot case of - don't think about the pink elephant, and it comes to your mind. So, he's thinking I do not want to play anything outside the off stump, I want to leave it. But, he is so tuned to doing it, and he is thinking about it so much through the day, and in the night, that eventually, the moment it is thrown out there, his body reacts in such a way that his hands go hard at the ball," Karthik told Cricbuzz
The 'pink elephant' analogy is a classic example of overthinking, or thinking something that should not be thought of. Cricketers tend to think more than what is necessary, but what they end up thinking too much of is reflected through their body language and performances.
This also brings the 'Backwards Law' into the equation. Put forward by philosopher Alan Watts, it is an interesting paradoxical approach that focuses on the perspective. In simple words, the principle states that "The more you pursue something, the more likely you are to experience the opposite of what you want"
In this case, the more Kohli is trying to get the monkey off the back, the harder it seems to dig its nails into him and refuse to let go.
The 'off-stump line' issue has become so prevalent among fans, pundits, and the opposition, that it is almost impossible for Kohli to turn a blind eye, even if he wanted to because it is omnipresent.
Certainly aware of the issue (because it is simply impossible not to be), a large part of Kohli's preparation might be dedicated to addressing this. Before he walks out to bat, all the analysis rightly pertains to his misery outside the off-stump area. When he is out in the middle, the bowlers do not even bother for a bluff or a setup, they set the field and unleash a barrage of deliveries in that area, knowing that the edge is coming. The talks of the edge, technique, approach, and mindset do not subside after his dismissal.
Kohli's currently tapped in quicksand, and the more he tries to resist and get out of the fix, the faster he is sinking.
Mind vs body: Raw instinct driven by muscle memory dominant over inner voice
The basic impulse dictates that balls outside off stump be driven or dispatched away, especially in this new-age white-ball dominant era. It is hard to curb something that is firstly, something you are good at, and secondly, an important facet of the game.
It is hard to forget that Kohli was once dominant in that region, and the cover drive is still one of the most productive strokes if executed rightly. For someone who has extensively played the shot, across formats, it becomes part of muscle memory, with instinct telling to go for it when the ball is in that region.
No matter how much he tells himself to leave, it might last for a while, but instinct and muscle memory will take over at some point, drowning the inner voice.
A lot has been stressed on the fact that Kohli's issue with the line outside the off-stump is not a 'technical' one, but a 'mental' one. If that's true, then it becomes important to get to the root of the issue and eradicate that. Has the relentless coverage and obsession with the issue got to his head? Or has he catastrophized the entire scenario in his mind, which in turn has made the scenario even worse?
The bowlers have also played their part in dangling the carrot in front of him. But in pursuit of the carrot in question, he's being hit by the stick. Despite all of the hits, the carrot is still appealing and irresistible.
How much part has ego played in all of this?
The risk-reward ratio has been taken for a toss from Kohli's standpoint. Despite the perils associated, his form, and waning skills perhaps not permitting him to dominate the cover region like before, he has remained adamant. At no point has it felt that Kohli is trying to curb something, and has always gone for the stroke whenever possible.
There may be instances where he has left the ball alone, but never for a prolonged period. Sooner rather than later, his gut-feel or perhaps stubbornness comes into play, and leads him into trouble.
It does not take much to connect this apparent stubbornness to ego. From Kohli's perspective, is leaving the deliveries a justified solution to his stature, or just a way of running away from the issue at hand?
From another perspective, does he believe in his ability to fix the issue without changing anything, fading away with time? So far, apart from a few minute tweaks pertaining to trigger movement, the timing of it, and foot placement, there has not been much to indicate a radical change to combat the issue.
Fans and pundits have been clamoring for Kohli to go cold turkey on the cover drives, and embrace Sachin's approach when he scored the iconic double ton in Sydney.
Kohli might have the mental strength to replicate something of that stature and certainly has the prowess to dominate all the other areas of the field to be productive. However, it might be hard for him to accept this as a fix, and embrace a last-resort move.
Kohli's bat still does the talking, only that it is the outside edge instead of the middle. He has to start letting balls go, not all of it, but enough of it to make it a well-honed routine and be more selective. Figuratively, he has to let go of the obsession surrounding his debacles outside the off stump; the less he clings to it, the freer he becomes.
KL Rahul's Brisbane masterclass has shown that the demons are more prevalent in the minds of the Indian batters rather than the pitch. But, it might be Kohli who is waging the hardest battle at the moment.