Virat Kohli crisis: 3 matches: 18 runs, Strike-rate: 62; Can RCB skipper turn the tide?

Bengaluru, October 3: Virat Kohli is undoubtedly one of the greatest batsmen of the modern era, straddling all the formats with consummate ease. He is the lone modern-day batsman who averages in excess of 50 in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. But Kohli, who is the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, is not having the best of time in the IPL 2020.

A dominant batsman who loves to stamp his authority over opposition, we have so far seen only the shadow of that Kohli. From three matches, the Royal Challengers skipper has made a measly 18 runs at an average of 6 and his strike-rate is 62.06. His struggles are justly reflected in the fact that players like Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube are ahead of him in the RCB chart of run-makers.

In that context, the match against Rajasthan Royals might not evoke any positive vibe inside Kohli. Over the last couple of editions of the IPL, Kohli has not really fired against them, falling three times to leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal and the Bengaluru lad will once again be eyeing the prized scalp.

Not many bowlers have achieved a grip over Kohli, but Shreyas has some hold over him, and the RCB leader will be eager to break that trend and make a significant contribution to the team's win.

So far, Kohli has looked anywhere near his confident self, tentative and jumpy at the crease. So, what is ailing Kohli? One of the commentators had opined that lack of crowd in UAE might have affected the intensity of Kohli, who love to feed on the crowd energy.

Theories apart, Kohli himself would like to buck the trend, and RCB will be eager to see their captain firing. Right now, Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch and AB de Villiers have carried the RCB batting. But Kohli hitting the right note is key for the optimum performance of their engine room.

Can Kohli turned the tide against the Royals?