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What do you think of Virat Kohli?

Outswinger@Pace

International 12th Man
Go back to Delhi, finish sixty non-Test games and win a title for Delhi or North.
Yeah, that should be the way. Too many of these axe-wielding, temperamentally unfit hacks are coming into international cricket without enough first-class exposure, for my liking.

Got to learn and grow the time-tested way.
 

sumantra

U19 Cricketer
Doesn't look bad but one has to keep in mind the opposition he has faced.

7 of his 8 fifties, both his hundreds and 939 of his 1127 runs have come against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and West Indies at 52.2 per innings in 22 games.

In 9 games against South Africa (3), Australia (3), Pakistan (2) and Kiwis (1) he has scored 170 runs at under 25 with a solitary fifty (against South Africa in Ahmedabad on a track where SAF scored 365 for 2 batting first ! India struggled to get anywhere close to the target losing by 90 runs in the 45th over. The 57 in 71 balls at number 3 has to be seen in the context of the wicket and the target of over 7 runs per over.

I am not saying he is to blame for that loss :-)

I think he looks good but he has yet to be truly tested (and come out on top) by top class bowling under pressure. We will have to wait and watch.
this is it, in a nutshell...
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
I reckon he needs as much First Class cricket as possible at this stage. I don't think he's going to learn too much more from playing home ODIs at this point; I'd actually leave him out of those games if they clashed with Ranji or Duleep matches and have him play FC cricket instead.

As I said with Raina, there's a danger of the fact that his limited overs cricket has progressed at a faster rate than his proper cricket doing long-term damage. We've already seen it happen with Yuvraj - he was pulled out of Ranji cricket to play ODIs for season upon season before he was given a proper run in the Test side, and when he finally was his technique had been eroded to suit the needs of what he was playing all that time. India have to be careful about how they manage their young batsmen and ensure they don't make the same mistakes they made with Yuvraj again.
 
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Howe_zat

Audio File
I don't think there's much wrong with a player being given a long run in the ODI team when they have Test aspirations. There are so many Indian batsmen with incredible FC records that don't look up to it internationally, I think at least in Indian cricket, the gap from FC to Test is a fair bit bigger than ODI to Test. Ideally you want to have as much FC experience as possible to prepare you for the Test side, but experience on the international stage is just as valuable when there's that big a gap.
 

Cevno

Hall of Fame Member
I don't think there's much wrong with a player being given a long run in the ODI team when they have Test aspirations. There are so many Indian batsmen with incredible FC records that don't look up to it internationally, I think at least in Indian cricket, the gap from FC to Test is a fair bit bigger than ODI to Test. Ideally you want to have as much FC experience as possible to prepare you for the Test side, but experience on the international stage is just as valuable when there's that big a gap.
Who?

Really only Manoj Tiwary has looked ordinary so far of the current lot and even he has time to turn it around and is not completely a hack.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
I don't think there's much wrong with a player being given a long run in the ODI team when they have Test aspirations. There are so many Indian batsmen with incredible FC records that don't look up to it internationally, I think at least in Indian cricket, the gap from FC to Test is a fair bit bigger than ODI to Test. Ideally you want to have as much FC experience as possible to prepare you for the Test side, but experience on the international stage is just as valuable when there's that big a gap.
Yeah, I don't necessarily disagree, bit Kohli's already done that now, and you have both ideally. He's proven he can hack ODI cricket in conditions that suit him; what he needs to do now is a) adapt his game to foreign conditions and b) bring his FC game up to the standard of his OD game. If he ends up playing 80% one day cricket then, like Yuvraj, his technique will erode and evolve to suit the cricket he's playing.

I just think that at this stage he's going to get a lot more out of a Ranji game than an ODI against Sri Lanka at home. The opposite is true for someone like Rahane or Badrinath though and they've mastered Ranji cricket as well and could do with some more exposure to international bowling standards and match pressure.
 
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Cevno

Hall of Fame Member
I am not sure the problems that Kohli has right now with his technique, playing FC cricket in India would sort it out though. The only thing it may help sort out would be his problem with Spin a little early on and hitting it to midwicket.

And he has done well in some tough conditions in SA and Wi in ODI's too.
 
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Furball

Evil Scotsman
Who?

Really only Manoj Tiwary has looked ordinary so far of the current lot and even he has time to turn it around and is not completely a hack.
Abhinav Mukund, Murali Vijay, Submaraniam Badrinath, Wasim Jaffer
 

Cevno

Hall of Fame Member
Abhinav Mukund, Murali Vijay, Submaraniam Badrinath, Wasim Jaffer
Badrinath hasn't looked out of his depth. He already has 2 International MOTM's in his less favored formats. Has not been given adequate chances in tests.

Mukund has just made his debut and played 3 good knocks in 5 matches and is still young and will be a gun,imo. He is even young in his domestic career ftr.

Vijay doesn't have a stellar record. But even he has done pretty well in India in tests. His problem has been away tests where granted he has been dire.

Jaffer i'll grant you even though he had a pretty good start in his career and could have been a decentish opener if not Gambhir - Sehwag level.
 

Xuhaib

International Coach
Yeah, I don't necessarily disagree, bit Kohli's already done that now, and you have both ideally. He's proven he can hack ODI cricket in conditions that suit him; what he needs to do now is a) adapt his game to foreign conditions and b) bring his FC game up to the standard of his OD game. If he ends up playing 80% one day cricket then, like Yuvraj, his technique will erode and evolve to suit the cricket he's playing.

I just think that at this stage he's going to get a lot more out of a Ranji game than an ODI against Sri Lanka at home. The opposite is true for someone like Rahane or Badrinath though and they've mastered Ranji cricket as well and could do with some more exposure to international bowling standards and match pressure.
Kohli is already a key member for india in odi's there is no way will he be stopped from playing the format in favour of FC cricket in sub cont odi's are given huge importance.

Sometimes i feel you analyze a bit too much a lot of the gun players start early and play both formats sacrificing their FC cricket Sachin,Ponting,Inzi,Kallis just a few examples odi cricket early in their career did not hinder their development as test match batsman if Kohli is up to it it should not be a problem for him as imo he is better then both Raina and Yuvraj.
 

OMM!

U19 12th Man
Today showed Rahane and Kohli wouldn't have made any difference in the Test series. Techniques of both need sharpening up.
 

Cevno

Hall of Fame Member
Today showed Rahane and Kohli wouldn't have made any difference in the Test series. Techniques of both need sharpening up.
Did today also show how the English batsman would do on a spinning surface in tests by that same logic?:confused:
 

NasserFan207

International Vice-Captain
Not sure what you people are talking about, his technique is fine. Its his temperament which needs sorting. He's not used to batting in tough conditions/against good opposition so plays at everything.

Its similar to many other young Indian batsmen. They struggle greatly to treat each ball on its merits.
 

Cevno

Hall of Fame Member
Not sure what you people are talking about, his technique is fine. Its his temperament which needs sorting. He's not used to batting in tough conditions/against good opposition so plays at everything.

Its similar to many other young Indian batsmen. They struggle greatly to treat each ball on its merits.
Think he has a slight weakness against the Short ball, Hitting aerially to midwicket and against spinners early on sometimes(though only when it is turning) among other small things.

Though having said that his basics technique wise are solid and way better than say someone like Raina, so once he gets the temperament sorted better for the longer form they can all be overcome.

He still has a pretty good record at International level in ODI's and did well in tough conditions in SA and WI too.
 

OMM!

U19 12th Man
Not sure what you people are talking about, his technique is fine. Its his temperament which needs sorting. He's not used to batting in tough conditions/against good opposition so plays at everything.

Its similar to many other young Indian batsmen. They struggle greatly to treat each ball on its merits.
That's bad technique isn't it?

Technique isn't just bringing the bat down straight in a forward defensive. It's about judgement too and not defending with an angled bat on the back foot, which Kohli does!
 

NasserFan207

International Vice-Captain
That's bad technique isn't it?

Technique isn't just bringing the bat down straight in a forward defensive. It's about judgement too and not defending with an angled bat on the back foot, which Kohli does!
Not really, most would distinguish between the two

Collingwood for example, had a ****e technique but awesome judgement.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Kohli is already a key member for india in odi's there is no way will he be stopped from playing the format in favour of FC cricket in sub cont odi's are given huge importance.
Oh haha, don't worry - I'm under no illusion that it would ever actually happen. I wasn't trying to make a predicition though.

Sometimes i feel you analyze a bit too much a lot of the gun players start early and play both formats sacrificing their FC cricket Sachin,Ponting,Inzi,Kallis just a few examples odi cricket early in their career did not hinder their development as test match batsman if Kohli is up to it it should not be a problem for him as imo he is better then both Raina and Yuvraj.
That's not what I'm talking about though; I'm talking about players who only play one format for the first few years of their career and end up (probably inadvertently) zoning their development in on the skillset for that format because they aren't playing much domestically. Tendulkar, Kallis and Ponting all developed their one day cricket at a similar rate to their four day cricket before debuting internationally, so when they came onto the scene they just played both pretty much from the outset. That's fine as they were still playing both; just internationally instead. I just worry about young players with faster rates of development in one day cricket playing only ODIs and T20s internationally and little domestic cricket; I think it has the potential to ruin them as I think it did Yuvraj as they're not getting much four/five-day cricket at any level. If Kohli (and Raina for that matter) aren't going to be playing Tests in the year or two then there's nothing more they can really learn playing more ODIs on the subcontinent; Ranji and Duleep cricket would be of far more benefit to them. Away tours are obviously different, and it's obviously different if India want them in the Test team immediately, but the way I see it they won't and I worry about the lasting effects of playing heaps of ODIs and no Tests but still missing most of the Ranji season at a young age.
 
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