Shashank, Abhishek Better Than Kohli?

Virat Kohli is the undisputable all-time great of Indian cricket and even world cricket for that matter. But going by the latest trends, it appears that he is well past his prime and the same can be understood if we look at the strike rates that he has been batting with.

Though Virat scored 4 half-centuries this year, nearly all of them have come with stagnated strike rates. Even if he upped the ante briefly, the overall strike rates of his innings have been on the lower side.

On the flip side, the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Ashutosh Sharma, Shashank Singh, and others have been playing with more intent than Kohli. Their strike rates are through the roof.

Though putting these players in the same bracket as Kohli is a joke in itself, if we consider the broader scheme of things, the current demand is for intentful batting and that is where Kohli is lacking. Other alternatives for Kohli are playing with much better strike rates.

The attacking batting approach of the other players is far superior to Kohli’s current gameplay. This is where there is the space for the argument that these players are more suited for the current style of play and the need of the hour for team India.