Many questions were raised on Virat Kohli's slow batting approach against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Kohli scored 51 runs off 43 balls.
Despite Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s stunning win over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday (April 25), the questions still remain about Virat Kohli’s strike rate in the match. Kohli scored 51 runs off 43 balls and hit 4 fours and 1 six during his knock.
Kohli started his innings brightly by scoring 32 runs off 18 balls in the powerplay but slowed down as the field restrictions ended. His last 19 runs took 25 balls which put the brakes on RCB’s run-scoring for some time before Cameron Green took over. Kohli’s slow batting performance drew flak from various fromer cricketers.
Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja pointed out the difference between RCB and SRH’s batting approach. While speaking on Jio Cinema, Jadeja did not entirely put the blame on Kohli. He reasoned RCB’s loss of two quick wickets for Kohli’s slowdown However, he felt that RCB are very adamant on their roles which does not allow them to experiment.
“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,” Jadeja said.
“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,” he added.
Virat Kohli holds the Orange Cap for IPL 2024 currently with 430 runs at an average of 61.42 in 9 matches. His strike rate has been the topic of discussion lately given the T20 World Cup selection happening soon. Currently, his strike rate in IPL 2024 is 145.76, which isn’t bad at all. But his innings against SRH has again raised questions about his ability to score runs quickly in the middle overs.
Also read: ‘Needs to attempt’: India legend slams Virat Kohli for his slow innings against SRH
Contrary to Kohli, other RCB batters like Rajat Patidar and Cameron Green had an excellent time against Sunrisers. Patidar scored 50 runs off just 20 balls with 2 fours and 5 sixes while Green also dazzled with a 20-ball-37 to help RCB post a match-winning total on the board.
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