From captain Kohli to captive Kohli

"He likes a fight, he likes a scrap, and he's certainly up for any challenge!"

This beautiful line depicts the aura of Virat Kohli. Nasser Hussain said this six years ago when King Kohli was smashing bowlers for fun. Time has changed, and so has Kohli's game. Remembering penning down a piece in 2019 wherein, I hailed VK as the greatest modern-day batter. Despite his poor form in the last three years, I still stick to my verdict. 

When you are at the pinnacle of greatness, everybody will praise you. But when you fall, the same people will hunt you down like a pack of wolves. Unfortunately, this is precisely what is happening with VK. 

Yes, he has not scored a hundred in the last two years. Yes, he is woefully out of form. Yes, he is getting out for single-digit scores. But my question for everyone here is - who doesn't have a lean patch?

The great Sachin Tendulkar wasn't the same after his Tennis elbow injury or the back injury he had in ‘98. The ‘God of the Offside’ too visited a hill downroad after the Greg Chappell saga. Even the 'Wall' - Rahul Dravid - had a significant downfall. 

However, what makes them legends of the game is that bounced back after a great slump, and I am sure Virat will do that the same.

These are challenging times for the former Indian captain. Once known as the ‘King of the Jungle’, he now finds himself in the middle of the road - all alone. Once who used to roll his wrists before playing a lustrous on-drive, now juggles his willow after seeing his off-stump knocked off. 

Little Master Sunil Gavaskar said on-air, "When the batsman is getting out on the first ball, it is very difficult to analyse what's going on."

What’s going on? Let me take the liberty and tell you. When someone is getting out for a golden duck, it could be more about the anxiety than any technical flaw in his batting. 

But in VK’s case, it is the pressure of proving, the 11 opposite men roaring against him, wrong. It is the challenge that the West Delhi lad used to take by calling the whole world incorrect. All these eerie phenomena were used to motivate the King. But all that is not working for him. 

Aggressive in nature, gum-chewer, on your face attitude. These words perfectly describe 'VK’ the player. However, there is something different about him this IPL season. He looks lost in the shuffle, and it seems something is bothering him. 

Yes, the determination is still there, but it seems like the ‘Chasemaster’ is trying too hard. So now the question is, where is the timing? Where is the old ton-machine? Is bio-bubble fatigue taking a toll on his body?

Game after game, the voice is getting louder. Where is the peak Kohli of 2016-19? His routine during that time - Eat, Sleep, Score a century, repeat. He repeated the same cycle over and over again and was almost untouchable. 

But is it all about mental fatigue? Surely not. Nowadays, teams in IPL and at the international level love to play with his ego. So let us dissect how Marco Jansen dismissed him.

In the match against SRH, Kane Williamson had a perfect plan for Kohli. The ball was moving enough in the initial few overs to trouble the batters. A pearler cleaned up Faf du Plessis from Jansen, and in walked Kohli. Williamson immediately placed Markram at the second slip and instructed Jansen to pitch it further up, just a shade outside the corridor of uncertainty. 

Jansen accepted the instructions and obliged. The result - Kohli edged one to the second slip fielder. The left-armers angle helped the ball curl away from the righty as Kohli went for a tentative straight drive. The front foot was nowhere near the pitch of the ball and the hands away from the body. Not a thing you associate with someone like Kohli.

Every time he walks out to bat, there's a certain expectation from the crowd. He feeds energy from the crowd, and maybe, just maybe, that energy is missing within him. Perhaps Shastri has said it right. Kohli does need a break. But will a sabbatical do wonders for him? Maybe not. He is in darkness at the moment, and only Virat can help himself at the moment.