After Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stalwart Virat Kohli went after 'experts' for criticizing his strike rate and struggle against spin, Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar was unwilling to keep his mouth shut. The iconic batsman went on an angry rant live on TV ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match between RCB and Gujarat Titans on Saturday. Launching a scathing attack on Kohli, Gavaskar asked why those who stay away from what is said and written on social media are responding to 'outside noise'.
Kohli did not mince words when he asked those sitting in the box how many matches they had won for their country. But Gavaskar was not happy with the RCB star turning the tables and putting the commentators in the line of fire. However, Gavaskar not only criticized Virat but also took a swipe at broadcaster Star Sports for playing the opening batsman's tirade on television 'a dozen times'.
“That particular post-match interview has been shown on this channel before, at this point it's probably been shown half a dozen times on this particular programme,” he said. “I hope Star Sports recognizes that when that is shown, the question of where the critics are, the critics are the commentators. Your Star Sports commentators are the ones being asked the questions.”
“If you have a strike rate of 118, you come and look at the first ball, and then you get out in the 14th or 15th over and your strike rate is 118 – if you want applause for that, then that's a bit different.” he said. But when Star Sports shows the person belittling their own commentators, I'm not sure that's a great thing. So I think Star Sports needs to understand that they've shown it enough times, everyone got the message.
So according to Gavaskar Saab, no matter how many people cry on Kohli every day, Kohli should not answer his critics pic.twitter.com/9yiAYtXrg8
— POTT (@KlolZone) May 4, 2024
“We've all played a little bit of cricket, not a lot of cricket, but we talk about what we see. We don't necessarily have likes and dislikes. Even if we have likes or dislikes, we actually talk about what's happening. So I would be very disappointed if Star Sports were to show this again because that will leave us all questioning.”
What Sunil Gavaskar said about Virat Kohli's rant:
Gavaskar was one of those pundits who had questioned Virat Kohli's intentions, posting a strike rate of around 120 as his team suffered back-to-back defeats. The legendary cricketer doubled down on the RCB star and asked if he needed appreciation for a strike rate of 118.
“Commentators started asking questions only when his strike rate was 118,” Gavaskar said, reacting to Kohli's rant. “I'm not too sure. I don't watch too many matches so I don't know what the other commentators have said differently. But if you come and open and then have a strike of 118 when you get out in the 14th or 15th over , I mean, if you want applause for that, that's a little different.'
“All these guys are talking about, 'oh, we don't care about outside noises'. Accha? Then why do you respond to outside noises or whatever it is. We all played a little bit of cricket, not a lot of cricket. We all played a little bit of cricket, not a lot of cricket. We We don't have agendas. We don't necessarily have likes and dislikes. Even if we have likes and dislikes, we speak factually about what's happening,” he added.
What had Virat Kohli said?
Virat Kohli did not mince his words when he criticized those who criticized his strike rate after he scored a 44-ball 70 for the first time this season in the match against the Gujarat Titans.
“Not really, I think all the people who talk about the strike rates and me not playing well are the ones who like to talk about these things. But for me it's about winning the game for the team. And there is a reason why you I have been doing this for fifteen years,” Kohli said after his match-winning defeat against Gujarat at the presentation ceremony.
“You've done this day in and day out. You've won games for your team. And I'm not entirely sure you haven't been in that situation yourself, sitting there talking about the game from a box.”
“I don't think it's the same. For me it's about doing the work for the team. People can sit and talk about their own ideas and assumptions about the game. But those who have done it, day in and day out They know what they do. It's like muscle memory for me,” he added.
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