There has been a lot of buzz regarding Virat Kohli's future in T20Is ahead of the upcoming edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which is being held in the USA and the Caribbean from June 1 to June 29, 2024.
Indeed, the 35-year-old hasn't played in a single T20I for India since the team's humiliating semi-final loss to England at the 2022 T20 World Cup until the 2024 edition.
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However, Kohli's experience, his longevity at the top, and his numbers in the T20 World Cups speak for themselves and provide a good justification as to why his selection for the 2024 T20 World Cup squad should be an absolute no-brainer.
In this article, The Sporting News takes a look at Kohli's stats and some of his best knocks in the T20 World Cups.
MORE: Five reasons why Virat Kohli should play at the 2024 T20 World Cup
Highest averages in T20 World Cups (min. 300 runs):
| Player | Average |
| Virat Kohli | 63.35 |
| Marcus Stoinis | 60.33 |
| Michael Hussey | 54.63 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 49.12 |
| Kevin Pietersen | 44.62 |
Most runs in T20 World Cup history: Virat Kohli leads the charts
Along with his average, Kohli also leads the run-scoring charts in T20 World Cup history.
Most runs in T20 World Cups:
| Player | Runs |
| Virat Kohli | 1207 |
| Rohit Sharma | 1062 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 1016 |
| David Warner | 975 |
| Chris Gayle | 965 |
Most 50+ scores in T20 World Cup history: Virat Kohli miles ahead of the rest
In 33 innings at the T20 World Cups, Kohli has scored 14 half-centuries, but the former India captain hasn't been able to register a 100 yet.
Most 50+ scores in T20 World Cups:
| Player | 50s | 100s | Total 50+ scores |
| Virat Kohli | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Rohit Sharma | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Chris Gayle | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| Davis Warner | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 6 | 1 | 7 |
Analysis of Virat Kohli's strike rate in T20 World Cups
Despite the mountain of runs, Kohli's strike rate of 129.09 is not the best. Of the 28 other players who have scored at least 500 runs in T20 World Cups, as many as nine batsmen have a better strike rate than Kohli.
Among the top five run-getters in T20 World Cup history, only Rohit Sharma has a lower strike rate than Kohli.
Strike rates of the top five run-getters in T20 World Cups:
| Player | Strike rate |
| Virat Kohli | 129.09 |
| Rohit Sharma | 127.64 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 134.74 |
| Davis Warner | 135.60 |
| Chris Gayle | 142.75 |
Virat Kohli's overall record in T20 World Cups
Kohli has featured in six T20 World Cups (2012, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2024).
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | S.R. | 50s | 100s | HS |
| 33 | 31 | 1207 | 63.35 | 129.09 | 14 | 0 | 89* |
Some of Virat Kohli's best knocks in T20 World Cups:
78* in 61 balls, vs Pakistan at ICC World Twenty20 2012
India restricted Pakistan to 128 in a do-or-die Super 8 fixture, having lost to Australia in their previous game.
Chasing 129, India lost Gautam Gambhir in the first over, which put India under immense pressure. However, he showed attacking intent from the offset and helped India chase the target in 17.2 overs, scoring an unbeaten 78 as the Men in Blue won by eight wickets.
72* in 44 balls, vs South Africa at ICC World Twenty20 2014
In a crunch semi-final game against South Africa, the Proteas posted 172 runs on the board after batting first.
In reply, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane gave India a good start. But India were in a tricky situation at the halfway stage, needing over 90 runs. Kohli had settled in but was not able to score as freely as he would have liked.
However, he switched gears in the second half of his innings and scored the winning runs off Dale Steyn on the first ball of the final over. Everyone will remember how MS Dhoni didn't go for the winning runs on the final ball of the penultimate over to allow Kohli to score the winning runs.
In an unbeaten 72-run knock, which Kohli scored at a strike rate of 163.64, he scored just 32 runs in boundaries (44.44%), which makes this innings even more special.
55* in 37 balls, vs Pakistan at ICC World Twenty20 2016
All eyes were on this game in the group stage of the ICC World Twenty20 in 2016 as eternal rivals India and Pakistan locked horns at a full-house Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The game was threatened due to rain, but we finally got to see an 18-overs-per-side game, where Pakistan posted 118 runs on a tricky pitch after batting first.
In the run chase, India were in tatters as the Pakistani bowling duo of Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Sami reduced the Men in Blue to 23-3 after 4.4 overs.
However, Kohli once again proved why he has been the 'Chase Master' as he held one end brilliantly, allowing Yuvraj Singh to take his time to settle. Kohli finished the game with 55 runs on a pitch where no other batter scored more than 26 runs.
82* in 51 balls, vs Australia at ICC World Twenty20 2016
India took on Australia in their final group-stage game. Both teams had played three games, winning two and losing one. This was a virtual quarter-final between India and the Aussies for a place in the semi-final as New Zealand had already sealed their spot in the last four.
Batting first, the Aussies scored 160 runs on the board, which was an above-par score on that surface.
During the run chase, India had an underwhelming start as they were reduced to 49-3 after 7.4 overs, with Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Suresh Raina back in the hut.
Kohli, however, took calculated risks and kept rotating the strike smartly to keep the scoreboard ticking and keep the run rate in check.
However, from the start of the 18th over, Kohli transcended to become the Aussies' worst nightmare as he smashed Faulkner for two fours and one six. India needed 39 runs in the last three overs, but the Faulkner over saw 19 runs being taken off.
In the next over, bowled by Josh Hazlewood, Kohli scored four boundaries to seal the game for India. With just four runs needed in the final over, Dhoni finished off the game on the first ball to send India to the semi-finals.
Kohli smashed 32 runs in his final 11 deliveries, proving yet again why he is the best player in run chases.
82* in 53 balls, vs Pakistan at ICC T20 World Cup 2022
After losing their first-ever game against Pakistan in World Cups at the 2021 T20 World Cup, where Pakistan won by 10 wickets, India were desperate to avenge their loss and show their neighbours that the 2021 loss was just a one-off.
Batting first, Pakistan scored 159 runs on the board. Chasing 160 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was not going to be difficult for the Indian batting line-up, but the Pakistani bowling line-up instilled fear in the hearts and minds of the Indian batsmen, especially Shaheen Afridi.
India got off to a horrendous start in the run chase, losing four wickets inside the powerplay, thanks to some fine pace bowling by Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.
What happened next was the stuff of dreams. Kohli and Hardik Pandya added 113 runs for the fifth wicket.
India needed 48 runs in the final three overs, with Pakistan the overwhelming favourites to clinch the victory. However, Kohli showed that as long as he was there at the crease, India were still in the game.
In the 18th over, bowled by Shaheen Afridi, Kohli scored 15 runs in five balls as Afridi conceded 18 runs to bring down the equation to 30 runs off the final two overs.
The 19th over was bowled by Haris Rauf, and he gave away just two runs in his first four deliveries. The equation stood at 28 runs from 8 balls, which seemed to be improbable to achieve with every passing moment, with every ball bowled.
However, Kohli produced one of the greatest shots in cricket history as he hit Rauf for a six straight over his head, playing the shot on the backfoot. He finished the over with another big hit, sending the ball into the stands over the fine leg region.
In the final over, with India needing 16 runs, Pakistan delivered a huge blow as Pandya was dismissed. In came Dinesh Karthik, brought into the side for his expertise at the death. Karthik could manage just one run, though. Equation: 15 runs from 4 balls.
On the next ball, Kohli scored two runs. Equation: 13 runs from 3 balls. On the fourth ball, Mohammad Nawaz balled a full toss above waist height, which Kohli deposited for a six. India got seven runs off that ball and a bonus in the form of a free hit. Equation: 6 runs from 3 balls.
Under pressure, Nawaz bowled a wide, which brought the equation down to 5 runs from 3 balls. The free hit continued. Then, Kohli missed the yorker, which hit the stumps and ran down the third-man region. Kohli and Karthik ran 3 runs. Equation: 2 runs from 2 balls.
On the fifth ball of the over, there was another twist. Karthik was stumped and that meant that Ravichandran Ashwin would be facing the final ball with 2 runs required.
On the final ball, Nawaz bowled a wide, which saw the scores being tied. Then, Ashwin hit the ball over the man at mid-off to finish the game off in fashion and secure a four-wicket win for India in what was one of the best T20I games of all time.
Kohli's innings was by far his best-ever T20I innings, and certainly one of the best innings in T20 history.
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