Kohli leads the tournament in run-scoring with 296 runs at a stunning average of 98.66, including four half-centuries. While four fifties in six innings is a fantastic personal high for Kohli since returning at the Asia Cup, the former India captain would gladly forego the honour for a World Cup victory. This is Kohli’s fourth World Cup semi-final defeat, following disappointments in the 2015 and 2019 50-over World Cups, as well as the World T20 in India in 2016.Kohli captained India in the 2019 World Cup in England, and despite finishing first in the group stage, the former India captain had to ensure heartbreak in the final, which lasted more than 48 hours due to rain. Kohli has only won one ICC event since India’s World Cup victory in 2011, when he delivered that iconic line about his idol Sachin Tendulkar.
Kohli was India’s third-highest run-scorer in the 2015 World Cup, trailing only Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. Kohli had an unusually quiet World Cup with 305 runs from eight innings and one century against Pakistan. Kohli was dismissed for 1 in the semi-final against Australia after top-edging a pull from Mitchell Johnson, and India was eliminated.
The World T20 in 2016 was Kohli and India’s best chance to win the World Cup. Kohli’s bat roared once more, as he finished with 273 runs, second only to Tamim Iqbal of Bangladesh. During this tournament, Kohli scored an unbeaten 82 against Australia in the quarterfinals, arguably his best T20 knock.
Kohli’s brilliant form continued in the next game, scoring a crucial half-century before India ran into Lendl Simmons. Coming in as a late replacement, the West Indies batter played a blazing knock and advanced to the final, breaking the hearts of a million Indians.
