Virat Kohli’s 51 off 43 balls continues to divide opinions.
Onto his 17th edition of the Indian Premier League, Virat Kohli continues to score runs, but the manner in which he is getting them is dividing opinions. With 430 runs, Kohli is the leading run-getter, almost 100 ahead of the second-placed Ruturaj Gaikwad. But on the contrary, his team Royal Challengers Bengaluru are languishing at the bottom of the points-table. Hence, it’s clear that something isn’t quite right, with the buck likely starting at the top of the order… with Kohli.
Virat Kohli looks on as he walks back to the pavilion after his dismissal. (AFP)
Kohli’s strike-rate in this IPL 2024 has been a hot topic of debate. Honesty, it isn’t the worst. At 145, Kohli’s strike-rate is still defendable, but the manner in which his innings unfolded last evening against Sunrisers Hyderabad isn’t. From an explosive start in the Powerplay, it was almost as if the Kohli engine hit a brick wall. From scoring 32 runs off the first 18 balls, Kohli’s last 25 balls fetched him just 19. Once again, the art of scoring briskly in the middle overs letting him down, a concerning sign with the T20 World Cup looming ahead.
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Reacting to Kohli’s innings of 51 off 43 balls on Thursday evening, former India Ajay Jadeja has divided it into two halves – one that India needs and the other they don’t. While Jadeja did not entirely blame Kohli for his approach, he seemed a bit apprehensive about RCB’s fixated batting order, which leaves no room for experimentation.
“When Virat Kohli started, he looked to be in a different mood altogether. When he scored some 24 off the first 11-12 balls, we felt RCB did what SRH had been doing to other teams. But the main difference between SRH and RCB is that when RCB got ahead, they slowed down. Maybe they weren’t aiming that high,” Jadeja said on Jio Cinema.
“Talking about Kohli’s consistency is like explaining the existence of the sun. The moment the Powerplay ended, he slowed down. It could be because RCB lost two wickets, maybe. Sometimes, it looks as if RCB are very adamant about their roles. DK will always come out at the end. And in doing that, RCB pull the hand-brake.”
Is there really a strike-rate problem with Virat Kohli?
Kohli performed the first part of his role brilliantly – give RCB an explosive start. After Faf du Plessis won the toss and denied SRH their strength of batting first and putting up a big total, Du Plessis and Kohli grabbed the bull by its horn and made the Sunrisers taste their own medicine. RCB raced away to 61/1 at the Powerplay, Kohli hitting four boundaries and sixes. But as it would shockingly turn out, from overs 7 to 15, Kohli did not hit a single boundary. RCB made up for it with Rajat Patidar’s 19-ball half-century and later a crucial unbeaten 37 off 20 balls from Cameron Green, but the Kohli mystery remains unsolved.
“He has transformed himself inside the Powerplay. We don’t usually get to see such shots from him anymore. He takes his time, backs himself and plays as per the ball. He went to attack alright. He tried to disturb the line and length of the bowlers, but once the wicket fell, he got slow. Usually he isn’t this slow; there were almost 24-25 balls when a single boundary wasn’t scored, which could have had a strong impact but the good thing he was he held one end, allowing Rajat Patidar to get the job done,” RP Singh, former India quick, said on Jio Cinema.
