5 Players Who Were Touted To Be The Next Virat Kohli But Failed

Virat Kohli is definitely one of the greatest cricketers of all time. The Indian skipper finished as the ICC no.1 ODI batsman at end of the last 4 years in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. The right-handed batsman was also declared ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade (2011-2020).

Since his international debut in 2008, Kohli has been a run-machine in the sport, scoring 7490 runs in 91 Tests, 12,169 runs in 254 ODIs, and 3159 runs in 89 T20Is.

Virat Kohli has already broken many batting records and is expected to break more in the upcoming years. Kohli has earned a lot of success in international cricket through the years with his hard work and dedication. There are few players who were also expected to succeed like Kohli after a promising start in the initial stages of their career.

However, their career graph could not rise like the Indian skipper and there were vanished from the limelight. Here we talk about 5 players who were slated to be next Virat Kohli but failed.

5 Players Who Were Slated To Be The Next Virat Kohli But Failed

5. Jonathan Trott

Jonathan Trott is a former English cricketer who made his international debut in 2009 during the 5th Ashes Test. He smashed a century in the debut Test and earned accolades. He rose to fame with a spectacular batting show in ODI format as well from 2009 to 2013. During England’s Australia tour in Ashes 2013-14, Trott left the tournament midway citing issues of stress and anxiety.

After taking a break from cricket, he made a comeback for the England team against West Indies in 2015. After managing just 72 runs in three Tests, he announced his retirement from international cricket.

4. Umar Akmal

Pakistan cricketer Umar Akmal made his debut around the same time as Virat Kohli. After his century in Test debut against New Zealand and a hundred in just his third ODI game, many fans and experts called him an emerging batsman in international cricket.  However, his few controversies affected his image in Pakistan Cricket Board.

Unlike Kohli, Akmal was not given enough opportunities on the international stage by the selectors. Since his international debut in 2009, he has only played 16 Tests, 121 ODIs, and 84 T20Is so far. He accounts for 1 century and 6 half-centuries in Tests and 1 century and 20 half-centuries in ODIs. He has also smashed 8 fifties in T20Is.

3. Ahmed Shehzad

Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad made his international debut in 2009 at the age of just 17. He became the first Pakistani cricketer to smash a century in all three formats of the game after smashing a century in ICC T20 World Cup 2014. At one time, fans also compared him with Virat Kohli.

However, his careless attitude towards health and behavioral difficulties led to his downfall in international cricket. Currently, he plays at the domestic level for Pakistan and working hard to make a comeback in the national team.

2. Manan Vohra

Indian cricketer Manan Vohra is another cricketer who was expected to rise to the top but could not achieve success in international cricket. After his successful stint in the Under-19 Indian team, he was picked by Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2013. He rose to the spotlight with some brilliant knocks but could not retain the consistency.

In IPL 2018 edition, Royal Challengers Bangalore picked him. However, with the presence of openers like Brendon McCullum, Quinton de Kock, Virat Kohli, and Parthiv Patel in the squad, Vohra was only allowed to appear in 4 games. The right-handed batsman is now part of Punjab Kings in IPL but has been in and out of the team during IPL matches.

1. Unmukt Chand

Indian cricketer Unmukt Chand is also a Delhi-based cricketer like Virat Kohli. Like Kohli, Chand also led India to an Under-19 World Cup victory in 2012. His match-winning century (111) in the final game against Australia allotted him a lot of popularity among Indian cricket fans.

Sharing a profile of an aggressive top-order batsman similar to that of Kohi, Chand was expected to rise to the top in international cricket.  He earned an IPL contract from Delhi Daredevils in the 2013 edition, however, he could perform effectively in the tournament. His inferior batting show in the following IPL seasons did not attract the national selectors to give him a national call-up.