Virat Kohli became the top-scorer in IPL history during his knock of 92 against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday. He now has 4,619 runs from 153 IPL matches at an average of over 38. Also, he is the first batsman to cross the 200-run mark this IPL and is likely to add many more to that chart.
While Kohli the batsman reaches new heights each passing day, the gap between him and the rest of the players in his squad grows. This is not to say Kohli is better than AB de Villiers in the Royal Challengers Bangalore team. However, Kohli’s sustained brilliance does make some of his batting colleagues look less than flash, be it the IPL or national team.
Let’s take a look at the IPL this season. The 29-year-old made two record-setting fifties in four matches. The first was his knock of 57 against Rajasthan Royals which came off 26 balls – his fastest in the tournament’s history. Then on Tuesday, Kohli surpassed Suresh Raina as the most prolific batsman in the IPL. Two record-setting days for Kohli that ended in defeats for the Royal Challengers.
In the match against Mumbai, the next best after Kohli’s 92 was 19 by fellow opener Quinton de Kock. It is no wonder Kohli is feeling gutted despite being in peak form with the bat.
“I don’t feel like wearing this (Orange Cap given to every edition’s top scorer) right now because it really doesn’t matter,” Kohli said after the loss that was his team’s third in four matches.
Virat Kohli 92 in 62 balls
— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) April 17, 2018
Rest of RCB 76 in 58 balls.#IPL #MIvRCB
As the years have gone by, the Royal Challengers have relied more and more on Kohli. AB de Villiers was excellent in 2015 (513 runs) and 2016 (687) but hasn’t crossed 400 runs in any other edition for Bangalore. Chris Gayle is not even part of the team anymore. Which means if Kohli is out, it’s more or less lights out.
A slightly less grim version of the situation in the Royal Challengers dressing room can be seen in the Indian team. The more Kohli has developed as a batsman, the more the Indian team has depended on him and his insatiable hunger for runs. So much so that below-par efforts of other batsmen get swept under the carpet. At least with the Indian team, other players have chipped in with useful contributions to ensure the healthy win percentage in red and white ball cricket.
LEADING THE WAY
In the last two years, Kohli has been by far the most successful batsman in the Indian team. During that time he has scored 2,560 runs in Tests, which is nearly 500 more than the next best – Cheteshwar Pujara. In ODIs, the gap is even bigger with his tally of 2,376 nearly 800 more than second-placed Rohit Sharma’s efforts. India are currently the top-ranked team in Tests and ODIs. And Kohli’s batting is a major reason behind it as there is not a single Indian batsman who comes near him across formats.
Both the Indian and Bangalore management know their team is relying on Kohli to score runs almost every single time. When he fails, the chances of the team failing rise dramatically. And in the last two matches in the IPL, even his ever-reliable bat couldn’t save Bangalore from defeat.
While we enjoy Kohli’s masterclass – be it in national or Royal Challengers colours – there is always the danger of getting transfixed by his batting and forgetting there are other players in the team who need to take the pressure off him. Kohli, lest we forget, is a human being.
