It won’t be wrong to say 2017 was the year of Virat Kohli in Indian cricket. With 2818 runs in international cricket, the India skipper left all in his wake.
His effort played a crucial role in India’s winning streak in 2017. Riding on the back of their skipper’s impervious form, India notched up nine consecutive Test series wins. The side also registered a total of 31 wins this season under Kohli, equaling Ponting’s tally for most wins in a calendar year for a captain.
Both as batsman and as captain, gave it his all, and the results were there to show.
Despite the bevy of star batsmen in the India line-up, Kohli managed to upstage most of them throughout the year. Kohli, now, holds the distinction for averaging over 50 in all three formats.
His form left most experts wondering what makes Kohli tick. For one it was the rate at which Kohli brought up his runs. Batting at No 4 in Tests, Kohli holds a strike-rate of 58.16.
Not only does he score more runs per 100 balls, but it also shows the ease with which he gets into the groove after coming into bat.
- Batting strike rate is defined for a batsman as the average number of runs scored per 100 balls faced. The higher the strike rate, the more effective a batsman is at scoring quickly.
“I think it’s his confidence and way he is batting,” Kohli’s teammate Cheteshwar Pujara summed up his captain’s ferocious ability to score run. “In last two to three years, it would have been difficult for any other batsman to score at such a strike rate,” Pujara had said.
And it’s true. Since taking up the responsibility of captaincy, the skipper has become a run-machine. But, it the pace at which scores these run in an innings is the most striking out of all factors.
In 2017, Kohli has played 10 Tests and batted at a strike-rate of 76.24. Among those from the Indian team and has played as many Tests as the skipper this year, none have come close to achieving the strike-rate that Kohli has been able to deliver.
The intensity in Kohli’s batting never went down... most striking, however, was the consistency at which he delivered the quick-fire runs.
Among his closest competitors for the title of the best batsman in the world, it is his strike-rate that puts him ahead. After coming to the crease, Kohli gets into the groove quicker than most of his contemporaries. He’s predominantly in top gear and seldom loses steam.
Australia captain Steve Smith and Kohli have been running neck and neck through the year. The jury’s still out over who among them is the better batsman.
But, in terms of progress, since coming into the scene, Kohli has been pacing his innings faster from one match to the other.
In terms of runs, Smith has an edge over Kohli in 2017. However, when it comes to average and strike-rate, the India skipper had his nose ahead.
If strike rates are compared then, Kohli is ahead of Smith, Williamson and Root by a fair distance in 2017. Among his teammates as well, he is scores at a faster rate. Only Dhawan has a better strike-rate, but he has played just half of the number games to that of Kohli.
Whether he will have to readjust his approach in tougher conditions remains to be seen but once Kohli does get going, he is a hard man to stop.