The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 has not just been about the young Turks who are aiming to wow the whole country in the coming years. It has also been about a raging debate around veterans in Indian cricket, and how their careers could be impacted because of their performance in IPL 2022.
To be specific, the debate has been about the poor form of India’s captain Rohit Sharma and his predecessor Virat Kohli. Interestingly, while these two supreme batters battle to regain form, there has been one other veteran who has put up his name for a recall.
This veteran obviously is Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik. Dropped after the debacle of the 2019 ODI World Cup, Karthik was summarily omitted from the T20I squads despite his excellent returns in the format at that stage. Kohli and Sharma despite their poor returns do not have the noose hanging around them, but Karthik has had to grab every opportunity that has come his way this season.
Karthik currently leads the strike rates table for batters who have played more than 10 matches, at 189.14 (across 11 matches). Karthik has come in at crucial times, batted with confidence and played all around the park. He has completely changed the script for RCB this season with his approach, and has shown a mind that understands the T20 format better than most. He has also guided young all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed during crucial stands. It is hard to believe that this is the same Karthik who was unsure as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain last year. He had also turned commentator during the World Test Championship (WTC) final and India’s tour of England.
This has been a remarkable turnaround because he is now finishing games for RCB. A drop in runs for Karthik also resulted in a mid-season crisis for his team this year.
“I know there is a (T20) World Cup around the corner. I want to be part of that World Cup desperately and help India cross the line,” Karthik told Kohli after one of the games this season, underlining his ambition.
Kohli backed Karthik’s ambition too.
"I am very happy that DK (Karthik) is so clear in his goals. I can surely tell you that you have presented a very strong case for yourself moving forward playing T20 cricket not just for RCB but also I am sure a lot of people are taking notice at the highest level as well.
"I think AB (de Villiers) will be very proud watching from Pretoria, sitting at home and watching you finish games for us and take the team across the line," added Kohli.
Even RCB captain Faf du Plessis has been mighty impressed with Karthik’s turnaround. “DK is playing his best cricket. I think he needs to put his name back into international cricket, doesn't he,” said du Plessis at a post-match presentation.
Opinion is divided on how Karthik can return to the T20 squad for the World Cup with India having options in Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan and Lokesh Rahul. Somehow Karthik has made the job of the selectors that much tougher.
But Karthik’s problem is a happy one to have. Kohli and Sharma’s form, however, is proving to be a tough problem to solve. Both the veteran batters have had a terrible IPL thus far. Sharma’s poor form has coincided with Mumbai Indians struggling to win, while Kohli’s low returns has impacted RCB’s batting line-up.
Advice has started pouring in for both Sharma and Kohli from varying quarters. In the case of Kohli, the form is even more worrying because he has not scored a hundred at any level since November 2019, when he hit one against Bangladesh in a Test match. He has also given up captaincy for India across formats and for RCB. So Kohli is under greater threat to lose his T20 spot.
Kohli has scored just 216 runs from 11 games at a strike rate of 111.91 and an average of 21.60, with one painstaking half-century, two first ball ducks and a few other forgettable efforts with the bat.
"I think a break is ideal for him because he has played non-stop cricket and he has captained the side across all formats. It will be wise of him to take a break. You know, sometimes you have to draw the balance. This year he is already into the tournament (IPL 2022), tomorrow if push comes to shove and you want to prolong your international career and make a mark there for 6-7 years, pull out of the IPL," advised former India head coach and former captain Ravi Shastri.
Former England captain and a close friend of Kohli, as also a former teammate at RCB, Kevin Pietersen even suggested that he needs to move away from the game for about six months!
"What he needs to do is to have a look at Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo. Two similar brands in their different teams and in their sports. You have Virat Kohli right at the top of cricket, his brand is right at the top of cricket. Cristiano Ronaldo is right at the top of football. One plays for Manchester United, and one plays for RCB and India. Those are big brands and they are going to be talking points. Those big brands also want to maintain their status in the game by winning," Pietersen told Star Sports.
“I think he is at that point and having been at that point in my career on a couple of occasions, it is not nice. It is a very lonely, lonely place especially when you have all eyes on you. Every single thing is Kohli, Kohli and Kohli. He is in that dark place, I just hope it ends quickly because the game needs him to score runs,” Pietersen added.
Another former India captain Sunil Gavaskar sympathised with Kohli’s poor returns. With such short stays at the crease, he indicated Kohli was not even giving himself an opportunity to return to form. “It is tough to say anything when the man has not even faced a dozen deliveries. If you have faced at least a dozen deliveries then you get to see whether the feet are moving, whether the man is playing across the line or there is a technical area where you need to do something,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
If Kohli’s form has you torn up, India captain Sharma’s poor run of scores is another source of worry. Thus far Sharma has scored just 198 runs from 10 innings with a paltry average (19.8) and at a poor strike rate (128.57).
Sharma has not scored a half-century thus far for Mumbai Indians. He had previously gone without scoring a half-century for his side for 16 innings in 2018 and 2019. It is hard to imagine that this is the same Sharma who was leading a mean machine called Mumbai Indians to a record five IPL titles.
Sharma’s presence at the pitch hardly raises suspicions about his poor form and even some former players are confused about just what is going on.
"Really don’t know what’s happening with Rohit Sharma. When he scores even 20, it seems like the machine is fine. But it suddenly stops working and he gets out. He looks in fine form, but he’s just not been able to perform," former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.
“It’s not just about this season. He hasn’t made the kind of impact in the IPL that players like K.L. Rahul and David Warner have. I don’t know the reason - maybe he is too invested in international cricket. There is no problem with his technique. When you look at Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan, you can see that they are slightly out of form. Rohit is batting well, but the runs are not coming," Manjrekar added.
Advice has also poured in from some other quarters for Sharma to consider moving down the order to counter his current poor form. He has done that in the past and also for India in the T20 format, but it is a move that has not always paid dividends.
Mumbai Indians camp, however, is not too fussed about their captain’s form. Head coach Mahela Jayawardena feels he has been striking the ball well and a big score is just around the corner.
“When you get out early, you think nothing is going your way. That’s part and parcel of the game. I have been a batter and these things happen. I would be worried if they are not hitting the ball well or lack confidence,” said Jayawardena at a post-match interaction.
The last word though rests with another former India captain and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.
“They (Rohit and Kohli) are great players, and I am sure they will get back in form. I hope they start scoring runs soon. I don’t know what is going on in Virat Kohli’s head, but I am sure he will regain his form and get some good runs. He is a great player,” said Ganguly echoing billions of fans of both the batters.
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