Should Virat Kohli be dropped from the World Cup Squad

This is probably the first time the star batter is struggling at this level. Virat Kohli went through a challenging phase in international cricket in 2014 when he worked to get runs in England during the Test series. But later that year, it bounced back again with two centuries in Australia. However, in the current edition of IPL, Virat Kohli plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore with just 128 runs under his belt in nine matches, which is his below-par contribution to his franchise this season. However, a big concern for Virat and the team management is the upcoming T20 World Cup. 

Virat's struggle continues in IPL 2022

Virat has been struggling with his batting form for the past couple of years with his form as he is not able to deliver his best and meet the high expectations of spectators and the team management. This downfall of the batter continued in the fifteenth edition of the Indian Premier League. In his 12 matches so far, Virat has managed to score 216 runs with a terrible average of 19.64. Although he has scored one fifty in these 12 innings, a big concern is his three Golden ducks this season. After his dismissal against Hyderabad, Kohli has now got out seven times in his first ten balls in the 2022 season. He has also completed ten golden ducks this season. Before the duck against SRH, his two previous innings saw him score some runs, but those came at an abysmal strike rate – 58 off 53 vs Gujarat Titans and 30 off 33 vs Chennai Super Kings resulting in a negative impact on his team's total.

Virat's failure against spin

 Virat Kohli is no more a haunting figure in T20 cricket. Bowlers are now confidently willing to take him on just as Williamson introduced Jagadeesha Suchith in the first over despite having Bhuvneshwar, the swing master. Kohli's struggles of getting boundaries against spinners are now well documented. Since 2020, although he averages 43 against spinners, his strike rate against them is just 104.

With this poor display of cricket, there have now been questions about Virat's inclusion in the T20 squad. Having given away his captaincy last year and now his poor form with the bat, Virat Kohli shouldn't be a first-choice batsman in India's T20I eleven. Virat's selection in the upcoming T20 World Cup seems quite doubtful when looking at his performance. However, we can never neglect his contribution to the team till now. Although he is in bad form, he still has that rage to score runs in him. Virat and the team management will hope Virat to overcome this bad phase and bounce back stronger.

If we consider someone to replace Virat, the best batsman for India at number three is Suryakumar Yadav. He has been one of the best batsmen in the IPL since 2018; he is pretty destructive against pacers and spinners. Suryakumar Yadav is an advantage because he is a quick starter and doesn't dot up deliveries. Since the start of 2018, batting at number 3 in T20 cricket, Suryakumar averages 30, and notably, his strike rate is 141. On the other hand, in the same period, Virat Kohli has a strike rate of 131. It will be interesting to see whether the selectors go with out of form Virat or if they look for someone else for number three.