Openers can be finishers too:
For India, he generally bats at no 3. Be it the Asia Cup or T20 World Cup this year, the Delhi batsman often guided India to triumph. However, this season for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kohli has regularly batted at the top.
What was interesting to see was, being an opener hasn’t forced him to stay away from his near-obsessive style of staying not out until the end. It’s a fact he couldn’t win the final but just remember before that, be it the pursuit of Delhi Daredevil’s modest 138 (Kohli 54 not out) or Kolkata Knight Rider’s tough target of 183 (Kohli 75 not out) or Pune Rising Supergiants’ challenging 191 (Kohli 108 not out), he has made a habit of staying on until the end. Right through the chasing act, he looks to be well in control with complete clarity in his mind how he would employ the proceedings to achieve the end.
He is doing the same thing what finishers in the middle-order used to do earlier . And in adapting this style, Kohli has been able to take the opener’s job to a unique level. That’s why Ian Chappell, who always chooses his words with care, called him, “the finisher of all time.”