'Fried brain' and exposed technique: the curious collapse of Virat Kohli

In Kolkata in November 2019, Virat Kohli scored 136 against Bangladesh. Ostensibly, it was a routine event: Kohli’s 27th Test century, 70th in all international cricket and a mere continuation of his relentless excellence. Certainly, there was no indication of what would come next.

As India return to complete their Test series with England, that innings against Bangladesh remains Kohli’s last hundred in any form of the game. In 2½years and 17 Tests since, Kohli has averaged 28.03. His malaise has extended to the shorter formats: in this year’s Indian Premier League, Kohli averaged only 22.7. 

First Kohli gave up the T20 international captaincy, then the one-day international and Test jobs too. But the curious case of his dwindling form has remained. And so, the question has become inescapable: what is ailing one of the titans of the modern game?

The first answer, perhaps, lies well away from the cricket pitch. "As cricketers we limit ourselves to how much we want to do without trying to find out how much we can do,” Kohli said in 2017. “I want to explore more, understand my maximum ability, even with the intensity in the field. The day I start getting burnt out, I pull back."

The sense is growing that, because of what he has put into 13 years of international cricket, exacerbated by two years of playing in biosecure bubbles, Kohli could simply be burned out. "Kohli is overcooked. If anyone needs a break, it's him," said Ravi Shastri, who left as India head coach late last year. Shastri added that Kohli was at risk of getting a “fried brain".

Cricketers have tended to go from one engagement to the next - whether international or franchise - and only have an

 extended break when they are injured. Yet Kohli needs only look