Virat Kohli and numbers that make him: In-depth analysis
In-depth analysis of Virat Kohli's performance against different kind of bowlers.
Virat Kohli is among the few batters in world cricket who can perform equally well on any kind of surface and any opposition. In the ongoing T20 World Cup, Kohli has already played two great knocks. The epic 82 against Pakistan and a fifty against the Netherlands. He did not perform against South Africa, but his body language and timing showed that he is in good touch.
In this article today, we'll analyse how Virat Kohli fares against different kinds of bowlers. From right-arm pacers to wrist spinners, here's how the former Indian captain performs.
Right Arm Pacers
Virat Kohli averages 38 against a right-arm pacer. His strike rate is 138 and the majority of his runs, as is the case always, come from running between the wickets.
His dot ball percentage is 33, which is the 2nd highest among all kinds of bowlers. More often than not, Virat Kohli falls to a right-arm pacer. He has been dismissed 145 times in 310 innings.
Left Arm Pacers
Virat Kohli plays the most dot balls against a left-arm pacer and his boundary percentage falls a per cent below that of his numbers against a right-arm pacer.
He averages 30 and his strike rate is 133. There isn't much difference between his numbers against a right or a left-arm pacer.
But looking at the numbers, Kohli seems more comfortable against a right-arm pacer.
The Spinners
Coming to left-arm spinners, we have pretty interesting numbers here. Virat Kohli averages the highest against a left-arm pacer, but his strike rate is the lowest. 59 per cent of his runs come from running the between the wickets and his boundary per cent falls to just 11.
The fact that he has just gotten out 29 times out of 145 times against a pacer is the reason he averages a massive 66.65.
The numbers aren't much different when it comes to a right-arm spinner. His average, however, falls to 51.54 and his strike rate jumps 10 points.
Wrist Spinners
Among spinners, Virat Kohli targets wrist spinners the most. His strike rate is 138, and 59 per cent of hs runs come from running between the wickets.
His boundary percentage against wrist spinners is 14, which is the highest among all kinds of spinners.
Bottom Line
Virat Kohli performs the best against a wrist spinner. He rotates the strike and hits the ball more often than not. He doesn't even get out easily, falling just 33 times in 162 innings.
Kohli is in red-hot form in the ongoing World Cup and if he can keep up the good work, India can really be the invincibles of the tournament.