Instances when Virat Kohli failed to deliver under pressure

Virat Kohli has been the biggest match-winner in the Indian team for the last few years. His unprecedented contribution to Indian cricket turned him into a star player long ago. Back in the 1990s and 2000s, Indian cricket team fans used to expect Sachin Tendulkar to deliver match-winning innings to the side. Similarly, Team India supporters now expect Kohli to shine with the bat in every crucial game. 

However, Kohli’s critics always come heavily on him for his dismal numbers with the bat in marquee games. In the ongoing Asia Cup, Kohli gave his prized scalp to Shaheen Shah Afridi with just four runs in the Group A match against Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Following this failure, the batting maestro was severely criticized for his ineffective batting figures in pivotal matches.

Here are the five instances when Virat Kohli failed to hold his nerves in crucial encounters
 
5. India versus New Zealand- 2021 World Test Championship final

After playing positive cricket for two years in Test cricket from 2019 to 2021, India qualified for the 2021 World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand in Southampton. Kohli, the then captain of the team, was expected to lead the side from the front and make India the first champions of the marquee red-ball tournament. 

In the huge game, the toss favoured New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and he decided to put India to bat first. India got off to a positive start with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill stitching a 62-run partnership for the first wicket. However, after the sudden dismissal of top-order batters, Kohli’s responsibility was to play a huge knock so that India could put up a competitive score against the Kiwi side.

The batting maestro spent more than three hours at the crease but eventually got dismissed after contributing only 44 runs. Following his wicket, India collapsed and got folded on 217. In the second innings, India got a chance to make a comeback in the game as after the first innings, India were only 32 runs behind and a fine batting show could’ve helped them get the better of the Blac Caps.  

However, Indian batters crumbled under pressure again in the second innings. This time, they got bundled out on 170 and Kohli also surrendered on 13. The veteran’s non-performance cost India as they faced an embarrassing eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Williamson and his men.