Is Virat Kohli in the twilight of his career and prolonging his stay in the shortest format by living on reputation? That seemed to be the nation’s concern though Rohit Sharma decided to set the record straight at Trent Bridge on Sunday night by saying that the team management knows “the quality of a player” and form goes “up and down for everyone”.

But has Kohli become a liability? If Rohit is looking for an adventurism to the format, the former captain has cut a sorry figure. He lasted only nine balls in two innings in England and was dismissed on both occasions failing to adapt to India’s new ultra-aggressive approach.

At Edgbaston, Kohli’s dismissal triggered a collapse as India slipped from 61 for one at the end of the Powerplay to 89 for 5. Kohli’s departure in the third over at Trent Bridge saw them being reduced to 31 for three. Kohli certainly doesn’t imbibe the same confidence his presence brought to the crease a few years ago.

In a high-voltage clash, say in the World Cup, such frequent slumps may not always be hidden under the carpet. With players like Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik, India need a proactive No.3 for Rohit’s game plan to succeed.

There was this lingering doubt that Kohli never revitalised his game to suit T20s. He hasn’t really mastered those unorthodox shots as some of his younger teammates in the side. Often he has been caught in a dilemma as whether to play the anchor’s role and strike later or adopt the positive intent early in his essay.

A close look at his T20I career since 2019 reveals that his strike rate has gone down considerably — from 148 in 2019 to 128.50 in the four matches this year. His only innings of note in 2022 has been the 52 off 41 balls against the West Indies at Eden Gardens.

If India are to maintain some sense of daredevilry in their approach at the top of the order, as has been noticeable in the two recent series, Kohli surely needs to remodel his game at No.3. The sweeping changes brought in by the Rahul Dravid-led team management has led to tactics which means India are no more treating T20s as an extension of ODIs.

Such has been the impact of India’s game plan that even Eoin Morgan has hailed the “huge change in their attitude towards taking risks”.

Former chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar feels Kohli’s mere presence, however nervy it may be, provides a “pyschological advantage” to the team. “Most teams are wary of his presence and there’s no denying his class. The rest of the line-up should provide moral support during his bad patch,” Vengsarkar told The Telegraph.

There’s no denying the fact that Kohli can still impress with a few innings in the lead-up to the World Cup. But that will in no way erase the fact that he has ceased to be inspirational in T20s.