Royal Challengers Bengaluru star batsman Virat Kohli is currently the highest run-scorer in the ongoing IPL 2024, but there has been a lot of discussion about his strike rate. Kohli has scored 430 runs in 9 matches at a strike rate of 145.76, but there have been several occasions when fans and pundits thought he could have played his innings better. Kohli was his side's top scorer again on Thursday with a 43-ball 51 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, but his strike rate of 118.60 once again reignited the debate around the topic, with legendary Indian cricket team player Sunil Gavaskar joining the conversation.
Gavaskar said that while Kohli scored an important half-century, he has not been able to hit a boundary for quite some time and his knock was not something his team “expects from him”.
“In the middle he just seemed to have lost touch. I'm not sure of the exact figures but I think from 31-32 until he got out he didn't hit a boundary. So ultimately “If he gets out while you strike in the first ball of the innings and you get out in the 14th or 15th over, then you have a strike rate of 118, that is not what your team expects from you,” Gavaskar said on Sterrensport.
Fortunately for RCB, their bowling unit finally clicked and restricted SRH for 171/8 while defending a total of 206/7. Had the Bengaluru side lost the match, Kohli's snarling half-century would have become a bigger talking point for fans and pundits.
After the match, RCB captain Faf du Plessis was happy as his side returned to winning ways, especially considering players other than Virat were throwing the bat.
“Last two games we have shown great signs of struggle. SRH game was 270 plus, we had 260. KKR game too – 1 run. We have been close for a while but you have to win games to gain confidence If group will make you sleep easier tonight. You can't express confidence in the group, the only thing that gives confidence is the performance that is so strong, the teams are so strong that you. You will get hurt if you are not 100 percent.
“There are more guys scoring runs now. In the first half of the tournament, only Virat was scoring runs. Greeny scoring runs will be huge for him now. We know that Chinnaswamy, that has been a big frustration for us. It is a difficult ground to bowl on. We know Chinnaswamy has been a big frustration for us. It is a difficult ground to bowl on.” “I tried to find a recipe for it, but it's hard,” he said.
But there is still a long way to go for the Royal Challengers in this IPL.
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