Virat Kohli has an uncanny consistency when it comes to the T20 World Cup, with unparalleled records and feats, writes Sarah Waris.

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When Virat Kohli raised his bat for a well-fought fifty during the clash with Pakistan on Sunday, it further reinforced his presence as a great in the T20 World Cup. A modern-day legend, the batter has a combined 188 fifty-plus scores across formats, but the 10 that he has in the T20 World Cup hold significant value. While plenty would rate Kohli’s style as more suited for Test matches and ODI cricket, with 3,216 runs across 91 T20Is at an average of 52.72 and a strike rate of 138.56, Kohli’s numbers across in the shortest format are laudable.

Much like Rohit Sharma, Kohli too needs to spend time in the middle before he can tee off in T20Is. A strike rate of 118.84 in the powerplay overs increases to 193.52 in the death overs. Whenever Kohli has scored 35 or less in an innings he has a strike rate of 113.70, and the best bet is to send him back upfront when chances are high that he is batting slightly over run-a-ball. Otherwise he’ll make you pay.

Kohli’s relative lack of blazing starts and big-hitting prowess mean he is not really regarded as a candidate for the ‘GOAT’ tag in T20Is. Not the kind of player who can play a quick cameo, his successes rely on taking the game deep. However, this skill is especially valuable in the T20 World Cup, where the pressure is high and the bowling attacks fierce, and the fact that he can be called a beast in the tournament despite not being the world’s best in T20Is shows his big-match temperament and skills.

A T20 World Cup legend like no other

With ten fifties in 17 T20 WC innings, the most in the edition, and four more than the next Indian on the list, Kohli has taken consistency to another level in the tournament. He averages a whopping 83.40, the highest by any batter with a minimum of seven games in the competition. His strike rate of 131.75 might not be jaw-dropping but is the fourth-best among the top-ten run-scorers in the history of the T20 World Cup. He has only hit 20 sixes but has 78 fours, the third-best among players, which displays that Kohli has relied on his natural game of playing down the ground to achieve success in a format where big-hitting is often considered a prerequisite.

In wins, Kohli averages 95.50, scoring 573 runs in 12 games, with six not outs. His average is the highest among players with at least 200 runs in victories in the T20 World Cup. With seven half-centuries, Kohli tops the list of most fifties scored in a successful game.

If the above numbers are baffling, then this one will leave you stunned. In successful chases in the T20 World Cup, Kohli has scored 434 runs in seven games (the most by any player), with six fifties and an average of (yes, that’s right!) 434! He has remained unbeaten six times, which is the highest number of not outs by a cricketer at the event.

It is not that Kohli sheds his orthodox batting in the T20 World Cup. He starts off slow, with a strike rate of 107.01 in the powerplay overs, but the fact that he has been dismissed only once in the first six overs in the competition shows how he can build an innings.

The RCB player has always been a man for the big moments, relishing chasing steep totals and being the saviour for his team in pressure games. The Player of the Tournament in the last two editions of the tournament in 2014 and 2016, where he averaged 106.33 and 136.50, respectively, however, has often been the lone-man standing with little support from the other India batters.

In the 2014 T20 World Cup, Kohli, with 319 runs, topped the charts for India, with Rohit coming in next, with 200 runs in six matches. The next edition was even more unbelievable. Kohli, who scored 273 runs in the tournament that was held in India, had next to no support from the others, with MS Dhoni, the next-best scorer, making 89 runs.

India, who are still waiting for their second title after winning the 2007 campaign, have relied on Kohli’s sublime skills to reach the final and the semi-final of the last two editions of the T20 World Cup. He started off the 2021 tournament in now-familiar fashion as he made a crucial fifty in an intense game against Pakistan, but the other India cricketers will have to rally around the star if they want to finally break the ICC jinx that has been haunting them since 2013.

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