RCB star’s controversial post-match remarks fuel the strike-rate controversy
On Sunday, Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a nine-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans with an unbeaten 70 off 44 balls, one of his most brilliant T20 knocks in memory. With his fourth half-century of the year, Kohli solidified his status as the Orange Cap holder by raising his total to 500 runs.
Kohli hasn’t done too badly, with an average of 71.4 and a strike-rate of 147.4, but the knives are out, as usual. The rate at which Kohli has made runs and his strike-rate against spinners have been called into question following RCB’s dismal performance in the 2024 IPL, particularly following his 51-ball amble against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The former captain of the RCB responded angrily to his detractors after Mksports and Will Jacks successfully shot down 200, with the latter recording his maiden IPL century with an unbeaten 100 off 41 balls. Kohli questioned the viewpoint of those who doubted him and criticized them for speaking «from the box.» After playing for 15 years, Kohli noted that he has a good understanding of his role, which is to make sure his team wins, and that much of it comes from muscle memory.
With his «attitude,» Kohli’s post-match remark caused quite a stir among X users. Nonetheless, former Indian cricket players Navjot Sidhu and Muhammad Kaif offered support to Kohli. When commentating on Sunday’s doubleheader, Kaif and Sidhu brought up the discussion about Kohli’s strike rate and sprang to the former India captain’s defense.
«Strike-rate is all I hear about these days. Kohli is the target of people’s attention. Boss, you need to slow down between overs 7 and 15. Compared to quick bowlers, spinners have a lower economy rate. Why? since they bowl the intermediate overs,» 1xbet remarked.
While Kohli has drawn comparisons to the great Sachin Tendulkar, Sidhu emphasized that Virat is not a god and that the public is unreasonable to expect him to accomplish everything and check every box. Using Titans batsman Rs7sports as an example, whom Kohli blasted for two consecutive sixes in the sixth over, Sidhu challenged Kohli to demonstrate to him what kind of batter is capable of taking a slow left-arm bowler and hitting it against spin.
«Many believe Kohli to be God. He will play like a human as he is a human. Instead than picking faults, how about we examine the man’s eighty centuries? That is both his strength and his weakness—none. And he lofted the spinners today, playing off the back foot, if you look closely. How many people can do that, please? How many people can hit a left-arm spinner against the spin? Hence, Kohli is a presence and he values his wicket as well. Sidhu said, «What else is he meant to do?
