Former Team India batting coach Vikram Rathour recently praised star batsman Virat Kohli for his adaptability with the bat across formats. Vikram Rathour highlighted that Kohli made a seamless transition to Test cricket after having a record-breaking season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2016.
Virat Kohli still holds the record for most runs in a single edition of the Indian Premier League. The right-handed batsman scored 973 runs in 16 matches at an outstanding average of 81.08 and a strike rate of 152.03, including four centuries and seven fifties. He smashed 83 fours and 38 sixes during the 2016 IPL.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) failed to clinch the title in 2016 despite Kohli’s excellent season with the bat. The team lost to SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final of the tournament. Kohli scored 54 runs off 35 balls in the summit clash while chasing a target of 209 runs against Hyderabad.
Virat Kohli scored double hundred without hitting a single shot in the air – Vikram Rathore
Speaking on the show ‘Find a Way with Taruwar Kohli’, Vikram Rathore said that Virat Kohli scored nearly 1,000 runs at a high strike rate. Rathore emphasised that Kohli adapted his game to different formats and added that the batsman scored a double century without hitting a single overhead shot.
“Kohli scored 980-odd, hit 40-plus sixes and a strike rate of 160 in the IPL. Immediately after that he went to the West Indies and scored a double hundred in his first Test without hitting a single shot in the air. That’s the biggest quality Kohli has, his adaptability,” Vikram Rathore said.
The 35-year-old scored his maiden double century against West Indies in 2016. Kohli scored 200 runs off 283 balls in the first innings of the series opener. He smashed 24 boundaries during the knock. He became the first batsman to score four double centuries in consecutive Test series.
Virat Kohli rested for the 2024 Duleep Trophy season
Virat Kohli has not been included in the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2024, which is scheduled to begin on September 5. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has ordered all players to participate in the domestic red-ball tournament except Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin.
The 35-year-old batsman will be seen in action again during the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home. Team India will take on Bangladesh in the first Test in Chennai, starting from September 19. India will conclude the series with the second Test match in Kanpur from September 27 to October 1.
The upcoming Test series is part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. Team India is currently at the top of the rankings in the World Test Championship. They will be hoping to sweep the series to consolidate their place at the top and secure a place in the final at Lord’s in 2025.
Also read: ‘Match haar jayenge’: Kohli shares how Sourav Ganguly’s team feared facing Vikram Rathour
