Virat Kohli running out of options with India down and almost out of T20 World Cup

Virat Kohli and millions of cricket fans were left scratching the heads after another thrashing at the T20 World Cup in the UAE left India on the brink of an early exit.

India were stunned at the start of their campaign last week as a charged-up Pakistan team registered their first ever win in a World Cup match against their rivals - and that too by 10 wickets.

Are India out of the T20 World Cup?

India's next match was on Sunday - seven days later. By that time, Pakistan and England had already registered three wins out of three in their respective groups.

Their match against New Zealand had 'do-or-die' written all over it. But Kohli's team, incredibly, capitulated even more spectacularly to lose by eight wickets and more than five overs to spare, all but ending any hopes of making it to the semi-finals.

Mathematically, India are still not out of the tournament yet. First they need to win all their remaining matches - one of them against an in-form Afghanistan - by big margins. And then hope New Zealand and Afghanistan do them a favour by not having more wins, in order to force a tie on net run rate. Which is another way to say that India are on their way out, if not already there.

Captain Kohli tried to remain optimistic, though. "There's only one way to play T20 cricket - you have to be optimistic, you have to be positive, and take calculated risks. That's what this format is all about," the star batsman said.

"I think we'll be fine. There's a lot of cricket in this tournament and something that we all must look forward to. Certainly the team must look forward to and go with a positive frame of mind."

Those words lacked any real weight behind them. As Kohli himself admitted, India's approach as a whole was bizarre, with the body language of players particularly alarming.

"I thought we were to be very brutal upfront. I don't think we were brave enough with the bat or ball," he said.

"With the ball obviously we didn't have much to play with. But we were just not brave enough in our body language when we entered the field.

"New Zealand had that intensity in their body language and they created pressure on us from the first over onwards and continued that through the innings."

India's bowling has lacked any bite while their batsmen, who did at least score 151 against Pakistan, fell apart against a New Zealand attack that has become a nightmare for them at ICC events. That the Indians did not hit a boundary between the sixth and the 17 over against the Kiwis, or that they took a total of two wickets in two games shows how far behind the game India had fallen.

India's next match is against Afghanistan on Wednesday. And given the scare they gave Pakistan, the Afghans start just ahead of India in terms of bowling resources and batting form. All of this after two 20-over matches.

How our nine-month-old has made the Canadian winter a little bit warmer for us

Canadians rallying around a targeted Syrian restaurant is telling about attitudes to migrants

Don Cherry and the real issue with being one of 'you people'

Mountain%20Boy

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zainab%20Shaheen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Naser%20Al%20Messabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Fadio R Khuri: No stranger to hardship, the American University of Beirut endures

Sarmad Khan: US decision to bar foreign students risks $45bn of revenue and jobs

Daniel Bardsley: UAE’s academic research output rises 16-fold over the past 20 years

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 280Nm at 1,350-4,200rpm

Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: from Dh209,000

On sale: now

Results

5pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m

Winner No Riesgo Al Maury, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)

5.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m

Winner Marwa W’Rsan, Sam Hitchcott, Jaci Wickham.

6pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m

Winner Dahess D’Arabie, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi.

6.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m

Winner Safin Al Reef, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,200m

Winner Thulbaseera Al Jasra, Shakir Al Balushi, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.

7.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh 80,000 2,200m

Winner Autumn Pride, Szczepan Mazur, Helal Al Alawi.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

While you're here

Cheryl Thompson: Stop the practice of blackface that's as Canadian as hockey

Kareem Shaheen: Alghabra outshines the racists who malign him

Kareem Shaheen: In Canada, I have finally found a home

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Explained

Who are the bidoon?

On Women's Day

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Xpanceo

Started: 2018

Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov

Based: Dubai, UAE

Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality

Funding: $40 million

Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)

COMPANY%20PROFILE

%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills