Ahmedabad: Virat Kohli has been scoring loads of runs in IPL 2024, having crossed 500 in a single season for the fourth time on Sunday.
But despite the volume of runs, ‘King’ Kohli has faced criticism for the strike rate at which he is scoring in T20 matches. There have been murmurs about whether he deserves a place in india’s squad for the forthcoming T20 World Cup.
On Sunday at Motera’s Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, however, Kohli answered his critics with the bat as well with his mouth.
The opener hit an unbeaten 70 off 44 balls (strike rate 159), while Englishman Will Jacks smashed a 41-ball unbeaten century to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru topple Gujarat Titans’ score of 200/3 in just 16 overs.
“All the people who talk about strike rates and me not playing spin well are the ones who love talking about this stuff. But, for me, it’s about winning the game for the team. And there is a reason you have done this for 15 years,” Kohli said in an interview to broadcaster Star Sports after the match.
“You have done this, day in and day out. You have won games for your team. And I am not quite sure if you have not been in that situation yourself, to sit and speak about the game from a box,” Kohli threw at his critics.
“I don’t think it’s the same thing. For me, it’s about doing the job for the team. People can sit and talk about their own ideas and assumptions of the game. But those who have done it, day in and day out, they know what they are doing. It’s kind of muscle memory for me,” he added.
Kohli was questioned for his strike rate in RCB’s previous game. Though Bengaluru beat Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kohli managed 51 off 43 balls as he struggled against spinners Mayank Markande and Shahbaz Ahmed.
Among those who were critical of Kohli on that day was legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar, who pointed out the former’s inability to hit the big shots.
“It’s just been singles, singles and singles from Kohli. There is (Dinesh) Karthik to come, there is [Mahipal] Lomror to come. You’ve got to try and take a few risks now. Look at Patidar. He had already hit three sixes in that over. If he wanted, he could have taken a single or left the ball for a wide. But no, he went for it because the opportunity was there,” Gavaskar said during commentary.
Speaking to Star Sports during the innings break, Gavaskar said: “In the middle, he just seemed to have lost touch. I am not sure of the exact numbers, but I think from 31-32 to the time he got out, he did not hit a boundary. So at the end of the day, when he got out when you are facing the strike in the first ball of the innings and you get out in the 14th or the 15th over, you have got strike rate of 118, that’s not what your team expects from you.”
On Sunday, Kohli hit 6 fours and 3 sixes, and played the spinners particularly well as he employed the slog sweep to good effect.
The selection committee, due to announce India’s T20 World Cup squad in two or three days, would have taken note of the way Kohli adapted his batting style.
