Is Virat Kohli king of cricket in 2022? With the 2019 Cricket World Cup just over half a year away, many cricket fans have their eyes on the next World Cup, and the team they want to win it. The team I’m rooting for? India, of course! With Indian captain Virat Kohli king of cricket in 2022 at the helm, they are sure to win it all in 2022!
But what about you? Who will you be rooting for in the next World Cup? Find out who I think will take home the trophy in my blog post, So let’s check out if Virat Kohli is the king of cricket in 2022?
Why he is called the king of cricket
Virat Kohli king of cricket in 2022, the haul of 558 runs in a Test series ensured he overtook Don Bradman and Ricky Ponting’s record. He also became only the third player to score more than 10,000 Test runs – a feat not achieved by Sachin Tendulkar or Jacques Kallis.
Virat Kohli king of cricket in 2022, averages over 50 with both bat and ball and has helped India reach No 1 in Tests and No 2 in one-day internationals. But he could well be toppled from his throne before long by a 22-year-old who appears to be born for big occasions.
Babar Azam’s heroics against New Zealand was a timely reminder of his prodigious talent. He scored a hundred on his Test debut – becoming only the fourth player to do so after Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Alastair Cook, and Jacques Kallis – before making his maiden ODI ton just one week later, however, we cannot declare him the king of cricket in 202 yet so far. Then Who is the king of cricket in 2022?
Babar even captained Pakistan in their World Cup match against eventual champions England, scoring another century as they chased down 330 for victory at The Oval.
If Babar maintains his form and Kohli fails to stay fit and score runs consistently, then it won’t be long before we have a new era’s leading light.
The rivalry that defined his era:
If you ask any Pakistani cricket fan who they think will be their team’s most important player over Virat Kohli’s next decade at or near his peak, Babar Azam would likely be their answer. But does that make him India’s most important batsman going forward too?
Azam’s contemporaries have a long way to go before approaching Azhar Ali’s heroics from 2011-2016 or Misbah-ul-Haq’s from 2001-2010. The reality is that both Misbah and Azhar are top players for Pakistan because of what they do for Pakistan not just because it was fun to watch them bat.
His reign was so important because…
The thing about Virat Kohli king of cricket in 2022 reign is that it was a direct result of Azam’s. India wasn’t entirely used to fielding a player with Azam’s caliber, but when they learned how great he was, they quickly molded him into their team.
As far as technique and style go, Virat Kohli king of cricket in 2022, and maybe the upcoming king of cricket in 2022, Babar Azam isn’t really that different – both possess amazing athleticism and are comfortable no matter where they are on the pitch (i.e., at any point). On top of that, both will likely be very keen to bat at No.3 going forward; a spot that has been generally reserved for batters who can anchor things down at 3 for quite some time now.
What defines greatness, anyway?
It’s one thing to say that Virat Kohli king of cricket in 2022, at 27 years old, will most likely be King of Cricket in 2022 in India. But it’s another to ask: What exactly makes a player great? and is Virat Kohli king of cricket in 2022? And what kind of numbers does he need to put up to claim that crown for himself? A few thoughts:
The obvious place to start is with runs scored. But runs alone don’t tell us much about greatness or a batsman’s value to his team.
For example, Sachin Tendulkar averaged more than 50 over his career but was considered an average Test cricketer not the king of cricket in 2022 because he didn’t contribute enough with his other skills (e.g., fielding and bowling). In fact, there are only two major factors that determine how valuable a batsman is—the number of runs scored and how long they spend at-bat (i.e., their batting average).
Runs per innings can also tell us something about greatness—how consistently good was each batsman over his career?
Virat Kohli king of cricket in 2022 Overall Stats:
check out his statistics in more detail here: Virat Kohli’s Stats
| Formats | Matches | Innings | NO | Runs | Highest-Score | Avg | BF | SR | 100s | 200s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 101 | 171 | 10 | 8043 | 254 | 49.96 | 14440 | 55.7 | 27 | 7 | 28 | 904 | 24 |
| ODI | 260 | 251 | 39 | 12311 | 183 | 58.07 | 13249 | 92.92 | 43 | 0 | 64 | 1153 | 126 |
| T20I | 97 | 89 | 25 | 3296 | 94 | 51.5 | 2394 | 137.68 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 298 | 92 |
| IPL | 223 | 215 | 32 | 6624 | 113 | 36.2 | 5129 | 129.15 | 5 | 0 | 44 | 578 | 218 |
Here are some other candidates for King:
MS Dhoni, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. However, I think Virat Kohli will be King. Why? The purpose of a captain and his support staff is to help players perform to their full potential; in that regard, they must instill trust (such as knowledge or faith) in their team members.
Only time will tell if Virat has earned such respect and given it to his teammates. Regardless, as a leading batsman with one of India’s most successful Test franchises under his belt, he clearly has what it takes to become one of India’s greatest cricketers ever.
That’s why I think Virat Kohli will be King of cricket in 2022. He has already proven himself as a capable captain who won back-to-back overseas Test series against South Africa and England with victories at Centurion and Chennai, respectively.
His team rallied around him after India’s disappointing defeat to Sri Lanka in Galle, winning three straight matches against Pakistan at home. Kohli is undoubtedly a leading candidate for best player in India, but who will be King of cricket in 2022 for all of the world cricket?
One candidate that stands out in recent years is Australia’s, Steve Smith. During his first year as captain, he led his team to a successful Ashes series win over England while also taking them back to No. 1 on the ICC Test rankings ladder last November.
My choice for #1 would be…
My choice for #1 would be Virat Kohli king of cricket in 2022 . There are very few players who can impact a game like Virat, and his numbers have been remarkable over the past year. India’s success in all three formats has been built around its rock-solid batting lineup, and Kohli sits at its epicenter as India’s most dependable batsman.
Sachin Tendulkar retired at 35, but if anyone deserves to continue playing it is Kohli. At 31 years old by 2022, he should still be one of India’s best players and someone who can anchor their batting order for years to come.
Do you think Virat Kohli deserves to be called the king of cricket? Let us know in the comment below.
Do you want to know how the famous cricketers choose their bats check this: Famous cricketer’s bats