Nine off nine reads like a mundane T20 innings, an opener biding time before getting out. For Virat Kohli against England in the World Cup semi-final, it was anything but, containing multiple plays and misses, one glorious stroke, and an ugly end. Here's how it played out.
Virat Kohli came into the T20 World Cup as a batter who had discovered a new gear in the shortest format. He had led the run charts in the Indian Premier League, driving Royal Challengers Bengaluru's unlikely surge to the play-offs. Since then, the bottom has fallen out. Normally prolific at short-form global events, he has struggled for form and fluency this time.
It started in the USA, where a slow New York pitch contributed to a string of low scores. Kohli looked to be finding some rhythm, scratching up to 24 against Afghanistan before a more fluent 34 against Bangladesh. But two more low scores have put the spot light back on him.
The start of the Guyana semi-final was delayed by an hour and fifteen minutes, and after the rain finally abated, England put India into bat.
Rohit Sharma took the strike, as he has been doing throughout the tournament, and started with a streaky boundary on the second ball of the innings off Reece Topley. Kohli got strike on the fourth ball of the first over and what unfolded next was an ungainly hack of an innings that was as ineffective as it was ugly to look at.
Ball 1 - 0
A length ball angled across from over the wicket by Topley, Kohli came forward and tentaively pushed it to cover for no run.
Ball 2 - 0
One ball was all it took for Kohli as he came charging down on his second, attempting a hoick across the line to a full delivery swinging back into him on leg stump line. The swing eventually helped beat Kohli's bat as well as his leg stump as the ball went through his bat and pad to the wicketkeeper.
Ball 3 - Leg bye
The line was the same, but Topley pulled his length back by a bit. Kohli pressed forward and looked to flick it with his wrists, but missed it by a fair margin as the ball deflected off his thigh pad to the vacant square leg region for the batters to run through for a bye.
Ball 4 - 0
Jofra Archer started the second over with Kohli on strike. In what were the first signs of the low bounce on offer in Guyana, a back of length ball outside off stayed low enough to go under Kohli's bat as he threw his hands at it.
Ball 5 - 1
Another back of length ball, this time closer to the body. Kohli looked to dab it down to third but the ball nipped back in to take the inside edge and die down next to him towards the leg side. This was Kohli's first run off the bat, and a rather unconvincing one at that.
Virat Kohli at the 2024 T20 World Cup:
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) June 14, 2024
- 1 (5) 🆚 Ireland
- 4 (3) 🆚 Pakistan
- 0 (1) 🆚 USA
Can he bounce back to form now that India have left New York? 🗽#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/6YP8J3BRms
Ball 6 - 0
Topley went wide for the first ball of the third over, luring Kohli into an attempted glide to third. But the new ball shape was still there, and it came back in just enough to beat his inside edge.
Ball 7 - 6
The first (and last) convincing shot of the day for Kohli. Similar to the second ball that he faced, a full delivery on the leg stump. This time Kohli was able to keep his shape and play his trademark whip off the pads over mid-wicket for six, his fifth of the tournament, three more than the number of fours he has hit.
Ball 8 - 2
Another full ball by Topley on the stumps. Perhaps encouraged by his six on the previous ball, Kohli advanced and closed his bat face too quickly on this occasion, attempting another flick across the line, only to get a leading edge that flew between the bowler and mid-off for a couple.
Ball 9 - Out
Topley's smart mix with his lines and lengths paid off. He pulled his length back once again, sticking to the leg stump line. Kohli advanced down the track and attempted a slog across the line for the umpteenth time, only to miss it completely and get his leg stump knocked back.
This was the fifth time Kohli batted in a knockout game at a T20 World Cup, but the first time that he managed a score less than 50.
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