Is Virat Kohli emulating the Mahendra Singh Dhoni template in ODIs?
The two share a genial relationship and Kohli has never been coy about it. He even went to the extent of saying that when he left Test captaincy, he received “a text from only one person that I have played with earlier, and that is MS Dhoni”.
During the latter part of his career, Dhoni thrived on a model where he took the game deep by concentrating on ones and twos and holding up the boundaries till the final few overs. It allowed him to adjust to the conditions while also tiring out the bowlers and forcing them to make mistakes when the ultimate offensive was launched.
Kohli has been adopting a similar blueprint in the Champions Trophy. He realises it would be tough for him to match Rohit Sharma, who takes a no-holds-barred
attack strategy in the Powerplay overs. It entails a bit of risk and Rohit has often paid the price.
The master chaser, an epithet which fits well in Kohli’s favour, knows his early dismissal could spell disaster for the team. He has been the fulcrum of the innings and his presence at the crease remains vital. While the others can dare to take risks, he needs to build the innings, especially in the middle overs of an ODI.
That has mainly been the reason behind remoulding his batting to cater to the demands of the side. He has been running the singles and the twos more often while cutting down on the boundaries — only seven fours in his unbeaten century against Pakistan and five in his 84 in the semi-final versus Australia.
By his own admission, this transformation hasn’t been easy and it does take a toll on his body.
“At 36, a break for one week is good for me. I can’t say about the 23-24 years olds. It is not easy for me to give this kind of effort after every few days,” he acknowledged after the Pakistan match. “It takes a lot out of me now, and I need days to relax and return to practice and matches.”
This transition has tested not just his patience but also prompted him to be more calculative in his approach. Brick by brick, he raised the magnificent edifice on his way to ensuring India’s passage to the final. There was no hurry to score the runs in a jiffy when he had the target in sight.
Had he not been dismissed by an outstanding effort at gully by Glenn Phillips against New Zealand, he could have further raised the bar.
With maturity, Kohli has modified his game to meet the challenges of the modern era in his pursuit to achieve excellence. There is no mad rush to slam the bowling and a more computer-precision approach has made his gameplan tick successfully.
He knows the importance of partnerships on the Dubai surface and his effort has been to stitch together as many as possible since it settles the nerves in a tricky chase. He remains a perfectionist, though success hasn’t been as consistent as he would have wished. But he retains that aura to find a rhythm and thrives in the intensity of a knockout contest.
“It’s all dependent on the conditions... the pitch tells me how the cricket needs to be played and I just switch on and play accordingly,” he said after the semi-final triumph over Australia.
The clarity of his role allows him to play more freely, unlike in T20s where he was always torn apart in a dilemma between attacking and displaying caution.
His strokemaking has never been pre-meditated, he relies on his instincts after picking the ball early.
Having the ability to pick the ball early, he is always decisive and can make last-
minute adjustments to his strokes. His philosophy has remained simple — always ready to perform according to the team’s demands.
Kohli’s average of 52.56 over the past five years in ODIs shows that he is keen on keeping himself relevant in this format. Whether he remains part of Gautam Gambhir’s 2027 World Cup plans will need some more time.
Gambhir was open to giving Rohit and Kohli a long rope when he took charge last July. “...Hopefully, if they can keep their fitness, the 2027 World Cup as well,” the head coach had said.
Kohli’s awareness of the situation always decides a contest where the stakes are high. His chasing instincts and current form could sway Mitchell Santner’s decision to bat first if New Zealand win the toss in the final on Sunday.
“For me, what’s important is to know the number of overs and runs left, even if the gap’s 25-30, I’m not bothered if we have seven or six wickets in hand, because you know, two set batters and we can turn the game around,” Kohli said after the semi-final.
Did Dhoni’s method in any way prompt Kohli to remodel his style?
Kohli knows the importance of partnerships and rotating the strike and hasn’t gone chasing boundaries in this tournament. He knows the likes of Hardik Pandya will be there at the end to pull off the big shots as he did against Australia.
“When, as a batsman, you start taking pride in hitting those singles into the gaps, that’s when you know you’re playing good cricket,” Kohli said.
Perhaps Dhoni could drop in a message at the end of the tournament to laud Kohli for his intentions. That would be the most satisfying aspect.