2 minute readAfter yet again failing with the bat, Virat Kohli dropped Marnus Labuschagne second ball. Oh how Australia’s number three made him pay. Kohli’s aspiration to bat like John Crawley grows ever larger. Today he made five (two singles and a three, for what it’s worth) before playing a tentative, back
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Virat Kohli has been out of form for five years now – he’s basically John Crawley without the hundreds
3 minute readWe put it to you that India currently have access to batters who are better than 1990s England Test cricketer, John Crawley. That is a little uncomfortable given who such a player could replace. (Spoiler: it’s Virat Kohli.) If you haven’t seen Virat Kohli’s latest dismissal against New Zealand, let
Continue reading‘Enough’ runs from Virat Kohli for India, Jasprit Bumrah the ventriloquist, South Africa’s theoretical snowball + more from the T20 World Cup final
4 minute readDon’t know if you saw, but India beat South African in the T20 World Cup final at the weekend. Numb Virat Kohli makes ‘enough’ runs T20 strategy is shaped by statistics, but if there’s one thing they don’t measure too well, it’s the likelihood a player’s entire muscle memory will
Continue readingIs Virat Kohli “due”? Jos Buttler misplaces Bowling Ali, a naughty pitch + more in our T20 World Cup semi-finals round-up
4 minute readIn a colossal miscarriage of justice, England (one win from four versus Test-playing nations) were knocked out of the T20 World Cup by unbeaten India after not playing anywhere near as well as them in the semi-final. India will meet the similarly-unbeaten South Africa, who triumphed over both Afghanistan and
Continue readingSlog of the Weekend: Aiden Markram v India
4 minute readWe’re late on this one, but please bear with us because there’s one particular element (a face, if you’re wondering) which should not be overlooked. Yesterday morning, King Cricket reader Ritesh drew attention to a wonky caption to a Getty photo he’d spotted. “Kohli celebrates after hitting the winning runs,”
Continue readingSlogs of the Day: Haris Rauf v India, Virat Kohli v Pakistan
< 1 minute readWe were already fond of Haris Rauf’s look and disrespect for physics. Now we’re a fan of his batting too after he followed up a huge six against India with three almighty air swishes, the third of which netted Pakistan another two runs. Going purely on slog aesthetics, the first
Continue readingA fast bowler can definitely be captain in an era when every player misses loads of matches anyway
6 minute readFast bowlers aren’t often captains. They’re more likely to get injured. They’re more likely to be tired and bad-tempered in the field. There’s always the temptation to over- or under-bowl themselves. But these things aren’t insurmountable. Whenever a Test captaincy vacancy opens up, the discussion begins. Who are the options?
Continue readingJimmy Anderson wicket celebration analysis: Pujara 4 v Kohli 0
3 minute readJames Anderson took two wickets in his 11th over of the first Test: Cheteshwar Pujara for 4 and Virat Kohli for 0. Both are great and significant batsmen and if our maths is correct – and no guarantees on this one, people – there is only a four-run difference between
Continue readingDid you see… Virat Kohli’s vertical clapping?
2 minute readIf Virat Kohli has a defining quality, it is faintly-unnerving intensity. Remember that time he was basically livid about beating Australia? Or all of those very many times when he celebrated a hundred with incandescent rage? We’re if not quite numb to these displays by now, then at least acclimatised
Continue readingDid you see… Virat Kohli after Moeen Ali clean bowled him for a duck?
3 minute readVirat Kohli is a man who struggles to come to terms with being bowled. We assumed we’d already seen Kohli’s finest “I’ve just been bowled” face. And maybe, for a pure, single facial expression conveying sheer bafflement that such a thing could possibly have happened, the face he produced after
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