The downfall of Kohli is one of the biggest upsets in cricket history. The peak Kohli, scoring centuries for fun, is now struggling for runs.
This has been one of the worst scenarios for the fans of cricket. No one would have ever thought that a cricketer who has 71 centuries would find it difficult to score one in 2.5 years.
Everyone has been waiting for his return for so long. On paper, the Asia Cup looks to be the perfect situation for it. A half-century against Pakistan in the group stage might just be the beginning.
In Asia Cup 2022, India will play against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and Pakistan tonight in the Super 4 stage.
Let’s take a look at Kohli’s performance against these teams.
If we only talk about T20, Kohli averages 50 against Afghanistan, 64.5 against Bangladesh, 69.2 against Pakistan and 84.75 against Sri Lanka.
Not only that, he has scored 9 of his 30 half-centuries against these teams, which he did only in 19 innings. It means he scores 50+ innings on almost every second occasion.
Also, out of the 25 times he remained not out, seven were against one of them.
If we move on to the ODI, we’ll see him averaging 67 against Afghanistan, 75.55 against Bangladesh, 47.2 against Pakistan and 60 against Sri Lanka.
He hit 13 centuries and 16 half-centuries against them in only 72 innings.
That’s how much Kohli is dominant against these sides. It’s pretty much the same story in red-ball cricket too.
In this Asia Cup, he is getting all of them one after another; this should be the perfect stage for his return. Although Bangladesh got knocked out, Sri Lanka making it to the top 4 is even better for him.
Therefore, Kohli, including his fans, should be optimistic about his return. After all, the best players reincarnate on the best occasions.
