India vs New Zealand 2016: 5 Talking Points from the 4th ODI in Ranchi

#2 – India are overly reliant on Virat Kohli

Are India an one-man team in limited-overs cricket?

Back in the 90s, India’s ODI fortunes lay heavily on Sachin Tendulkar and his broad bat. Though plenty of things have changed since then, their reliance on one individual seems to be returning with Virat Kohli following in the footsteps of the batting icon. The 27-year old’s importance to the Men in Blue can be verified by looking at what has transpired in this series thus far.

In the two ODIs that India have won, Kohli has guided them home by remaining unbeaten on 85 and 154. However, during the other two chases, his dismissal sparked imminent collapses in the middle-order with no other batsman taking on the responsibility as wholeheartedly as him. In comparison, the Test side is turning into a well-oiled unit with almost every individual playing his part.