5 reasons why Virat Kohli will do well in the 2018 tour of England

In just under 10 days time, India will embark on, what looks like yet another grueling season of cricket, which will see them play England and Australia in their own backyards in two full-fledged series.

The moment one utters the word 'England', there is only one player who comes to mind: Virat Kohli. The right-hander had a forgettable outing with the bat in 2014 when he made 134 runs in the five matches and he followed that with an equally poor ODI series scoring a mere 54 runs in four matches.

However, time heals everything and as he and his side make their way to England at the end of this month, Kohli will believe he is a much better player than what he was, four years ago and so can overcome the ghosts of that trip.

Here are five reasons why Kohli will do well in the 2018 tour of England:

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The leader of the pack

Often in cricket, one hears pundits speak about whose team it is. Is it the captain's team or the coach's team. Who is the person running the side?

In India's case, it is very clear right now that Kohli is that man. He is the leader of this pack. Unlike 2014, he is not just any batsman or a member of this squad, which would tour this time around. He is the one everyone looks up to for the way he plays the game with the bat, on the field, in training sessions etc.

Ever since he first led India at Adelaide in 2014, it has become more and more evident that he thrives under responsibility. His game elevates a bit when he is carrying extra load and in England, as the leader of this young yet very talented squad, he will be ready to correct what went wrong in 2014 and look to help India win their first series in England in 11 years.

He will have surely written another page in his growing legacy as captain if he manages to do that.

Excellent form with the bat in hand

Kohli has had a good start to 2018 with the bat in Test match cricket

Sometimes good tours prove to be turning points in a player's career. In exceptional cases, bad tours also turn out be pivotal points in the life of a sportsperson.

Since that abysmal tour to England in 2014, Kohli has turned into a complete run-machine in the longer format of the game, scoring in excess of 1000 runs twice in the last four years.

In 2015, he made 640 runs in 9 matches. In 2016, 1215 runs in 12 matches. In 2017, 1059 runs in 10 matches.

In 2018, the right-hander has made 286 in three Tests, that includes a superb 153 against a testing South African attack at Centurion. He will now hope to carry that form into England and do well there.

An added motivation to succeed

Another opportunity stands in front of him. Can he grab it this time around?

It is no secret that Kohli is one of the most driven players in this Indian team. His passion to be the best, to tame the opposition, to try and deliver in every single game finds little or no competition within the side.

Ahead of this tour to England, that motivation seems a bit more than before. That was evident when he decided to opt for a short county stint with Surrey later this month and although that did not materialize thanks to a neck injury, one could see how badly he was trying to erase the horrors of 2014 and script a new piece of glorious history against his name on English territory.

When he steps on to the field next month, he will know in his mind this is the last frontier he needs to conquer as a batsman and he will have that extra fire in his belly to do that.

Facing a known attack again

Can Kohli overcome the Anderson threat this time around?

When Kohli goes through the present England line-up, he will see a lot of familiar names, especially in the bowling attack. While the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad are quality operators with the ball, what they do with the cherry is no secret to the world.

They pitch the ball up to the batsman, look to get them playing forward and induce the outside edge of the bat. In that sense, it would do Kohli well if he can practice against the full ball before leaving and try and leave as many as deliveries as he can on the corridor of uncertainty.

When the same bowling arsenal came to India in 2016, Kohli had a great time with the bat. Now it is up to him to give it back in their own backyard.

Kohli a better batsman four years later

Kohli could hurt England if they don't get him out early

When he went to England in 2014, Kohli was already spoken about as the heir to Sachin Tendulkar, thanks to his huge appetite for runs, particularly in white-ball cricket. Many felt that he would be able to stand up and be counted for with the bat in hand in red-ball cricket on that trip and perhaps help India put England under severe pressure.

However, that did not turn out to be the case. But four years on, Kohli is going to England as a much-improved player. He seems to found a way to curtail the weakness outside the off-stump either by standing outside the crease to counter the swing by playing the ball before it swings in or goes away late, he is looking to leave the ball a lot more and also trying to get the bat down a lot straighter rather than angular.

If he can manage to survive the initial testing phase against the Anderson and co. one can safely assume that he might have a few Englishmen chasing leather in their own backyard.