In a pivotal T20 World Cup 2024 clash at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Ground in St Lucia, Virat Kohli’s batting woes persisted as he was dismissed for a five-ball duck against Australia. This marks Kohli’s second duck in the tournament, the first occurring against the USA, where Saurabh Netravalkar dismissed him for a golden duck. This unfortunate streak sees Kohli joining an unwanted record of Ashish Nehra in T20 World Cup, who was the only Indian previously dismissed for two ducks in a single edition back in 2010.
Kohli’s performance in the tournament has been far from his best. With only 66 runs in six innings, his average stands at a mere 11.00. His highest score has been 37 runs against Bangladesh in the Super 8 round. During the group stage, he failed to reach double figures, with his highest being just four runs against Pakistan.
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh had expressed hope that Kohli would deliver a significant score against Australia, emphasizing that despite not scoring big, Kohli’s contributions in the 20s and 30s have had an impact in T20 matches. Harbhajan remained confident that once set, Kohli could score big, a hope shared by many Indian fans.
Kohli’s poor run in the World Cup is a stark contrast to his outstanding IPL season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), where he won the Orange Cap by scoring 741 runs in 15 matches and crossed the 8,000 run mark in IPL history. His stellar IPL performance had raised expectations for a strong showing in the World Cup, but the pressure now mounts on India as they battle Australia in this crucial match.
Despite his IPL success, Kohli’s World Cup performance has been disappointing, adding significant pressure on India in this high-stakes encounter.
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