Clarity, control, and runs: The method behind King Kohli’s return to his throne

There is a sense of assurance in Virat Kohli’s batting again. The anxious prods outside the off-stump have gone, and the runs are flowing. More importantly, the King is back on his throne. Two hundreds and two fifties in his last four One-Day Internationals across the South Africa and New Zealand series underline a batter who has rediscovered his rhythm, signalling his troubles are over.

The 37-year-old Indian talisman has scored five half-centuries and three centuries in the last 14 innings in one year, which also includes an unbeaten century against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy in Dubai.

Kohli has found the second wind in his batting after a lean patch in the last few years, across formats. It might not be a lean patch for others, but given Kohli’s incredible consistency, one could feel so.

A stark contrast at Vadodara

How has Kohli managed to return to his best? His game is not too different from what he showed during his struggle in his last Test series in Australia. But the assured footwork and shot selection have returned to his game. He is now waiting to play his shots by allowing the ball to
come to him rather than reaching out, a feature that was detrimental to him Down Under.

After retiring from Tests and Twenty20 internationals, Kohli’s calendar is not as packed as in the past, allowing him the time to mentally reset and adjust his game. The rest has allowed him to mentally play the game and made him relax on the pitch. Understandably, a batter becomes tentative when confidence is low. A phenomenon every batter goes through.

The contrast was visible in the Baroda Cricket Association. Skipper Shubman Gill looked rusty after returning from an injury break. While Kohli had plenty of time, Gill had to rush through his shots.

Why is Kohli’s form and presence important?

Indian cricket is at the crossroads, with the old paving way for the new. The team in transition has its own shortcomings, as witnessed during the Test series against England and South Africa.

Hence, a pillar like Kohli’s presence will allow the young players in the Indian ODI set-up more time to understand the demands of international cricket.

With India chasing the ODI World Cup title in 2027 after narrowly missing it at home, Kohli’s current form will ease the top-order worries. Master Chaser Kohli often takes India past the winning line. His wicket put India in trouble in the first ODI. KL Rahul later guided the team home by four wickets.

Away from the pitch, Kohli’s impact has kept the ODIs alive, with many young fans holding his posters. Gambhir, reportedly, might be against the superstar culture in the Indian team, but these idols will keep the young fans’ dreams alive, and that will entice them into the sport that they love the most.

Record falls, more to come

Statistically, the former captain has been flooring records, even though he has said on many an occasion that records don’t matter to him. It is only winning that matters. Kohli’s conversion rate across all three formats took him past the 28,000-run mark, surpassing Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara during his 93 at Vadodara in the first ODI against New Zealand, in his 594th international innings.

He stays second behind Tendulkar, who took 648 innings to reach the same milestone, underlining his thirst for scoring runs at a high average of 58.60. Kohli could also set the most consecutive 50-plus scores during the second ODI on Wednesday.

Kohli is in an illustrious company of the Master Blaster, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rahul Dravid – all with five. Kohli’s ODI run began in the final ODI in Australia, where Rohit Sharma and Kohli took India to a nine-wicket win in Sydney.

The 37-year-old Delhi batter is on the verge of surpassing another milestone during the second One-Day International against New Zealand at Rajkot. He just needs to score one run to become India’s highest run-scorer against New Zealand. He is on level with Sachin Tendulkar on 1,750 runs against the Black Caps in ODIs.

For Team India, Kohli is invaluable as he brings a much-needed calm to the middle. If he continues to scintillate in the same fashion, he could walk into the sunset by holding the 2027 World Cup trophy, the only player in Indian cricket to achieve that feat.