Virat Kohli and his search for the elusive 44th ODI hundred

NERVOUS.

Well, that is not the word that you would normally use when speaking about a man who has scored more than 22000 international runs and 70 international centuries. That is not the word that you would use at a man who holds the record for being the fastest to 10000 runs in ODI cricket. But then, in the last 15 months, Virat Kohli has simply been unable to get past the three-figure mark in ODI cricket in spite of getting agonizingly close on numerous occasions.

Is the prospect of getting to a century playing on his mind? Is the master getting nervous and edgy as he nears the landmark?

Consider this. In his last 9 ODI innings, the Indian skipper has had three scores of 85 or more in ODI cricket. Yet, he has somehow not been able to go that extra mile to score his 44th ODI hundred.

So near, yet so far

For the batting maestro, it has been a case of so near, yet so far in the past one year. In the table below, let us have a look at Kohli’s performances in his last 9 ODI innings.

From the above table, we can see that in his last 9 ODI innings, Kohli has scored 5 half centuries. But strangely, he has not been able to convert even one of them into a three-figure score. More importantly, the four innings where he has scored above 75 but failed to kick on and get a century warrant our attention. In the match against the West Indies in December 2019, India were set a target of 316, and Kohli walked in with the score at 122/1. It seemed as if Kohli would not put a foot wrong. He took apart the West Indian bowlers methodically, with the cover drive off Jason Holder being the crown jewel.

But then, just when India were just 30 runs away from victory, Kohli was dismissed for 85. He dragged a delivery from Keemo Paul onto the stumps, when he was 15 runs shy of his hundred.

Let us now move to the next month. In the game against Australia on January 17th 2020, Kohli was well poised to get his hundred. He seemed on top of the Australian bowlers, and sumptuous cover drives and delectable flicks highlighted his innings.

But, against the run of play, the master batsman took the aerial route, and holed out to Long Off, 22 runs short of his hundred. Adam Zampa was the man who scalped the ‘Big Fish’ this time.

Just two days later, Kohli had another chance to get to No.44 in ODI cricket. India were set a of 287, and once again, it was the skipper who led the charge with the bat. The Aussie bowlers, consisting of the fiery Mitchell Starc, the irritatingly accurate Josh Hazlewood and the wily Zampa were neutralized by a classic knock from the willow of Kohli.

But yet again, Hazlewood breached through the defense of Kohli, with India’s talisman 11 runs short of a century.

Now, let us move forward to November 29th 2020. India were in the land of the kangaroos, taking on the Aussies in their own backyard. The Australians piled on a massive total of 389 runs on the board, and it was going to be a daunting task for India to chase the target down.

Kohli came in after Shikhar Dhawan fell for 30 and played the role of the sheet anchor. The master got to his 59th half century, and once again seemed well on course for his 44th ODI hundred. And needless to say, as long as Kohli was out there, there was a glimmer of hope in the hearts of millions of Indians too.

But then, a brilliant piece of fielding brought about an end to Kohli’s knock. Off the bowling of Hazlewood, Kohli went for the pull. Moises Henriques threw himself to his left and pouched a stunner. Kohli walked away in disbelief, after having missed out yet again. The Indian skipper was dismissed for 89.

Kohli’s dwindling conversion rate

In the table below, let us take a look at Kohli’s conversion rate of hundreds in ODI cricket in 2 parts- BEFORE THE 2019 WORLD CUP and DURING AND AFTER THE 2019 WORLD CUP.

Before the 2019 World Cup, Kohli had played 219 innings in ODI cricket and had 90 or more fifty plus scores. He had converted 41 of those into hundreds, which translates to a percentage of 45.55%. But, when we look at his record during and after the 2019 World Cup, there is surely a cause for concern. The Indian skipper has gone past the 50-run mark 12 times since, but has converted just 2 of those into hundreds. His conversion rate since the 2019 World Cup has dropped to a meagre 16.67%, a fall that is more than 28%.

The search for that elusive hundred

Kohli has now gone 11 innings without an ODI hundred, but what is more worrying is the fact that he has now developed a habit of stumbling at the final hurdle. He has had as many as 4 chances in his last 9 ODI innings, but he has left each and every one of those chances slip.

There is no doubt that he is India’s talisman as far as batting is concerned, and the fortunes of the Indian side depend upon how their skipper fares with the willow. The hunt for his 44th ODI hundred is slowly turning out to be elusive for the batting maestro.

The sooner he gets to No.44, the better it is. Not only for him, but also for the Indian side as well.

Note: All the stats have been taken from Howstat cricket and cricinfo and have been updated as on 30th November 2020.