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Virat Kohli's sloth-paced knock in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) winning cause against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) during their IPL 2024 clash has once again sparked debate. Former Indian captain and batting great Sunil Gavaskar has criticised Kohli's slow knock, which saw him scoring 51 off 43 balls at a strike rate of 118.60. However, RCB ended up posting a colossal target of 207 runs and later won the match by 35 runs.
Sunil Gavaskar criticises Virat Kohli's sluggish knock
With this knock secured his 53rd IPL fifty, Gavaskar argued that the good batting pitch and the fact that Kohli batted until the 14th over meant his strike rate should have been higher. This criticism came despite RCB reaching a total of 206, thanks largely to a rapid 19-ball fifty from Rajat Patidar.
The innings began positively for Kohli. After RCB captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and chose to bat, Kohli started strong. The pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium was known for high-scoring matches, and Kohli capitalized early, reaching 32 off just 18 balls by the end of the powerplay. However, once the fielding restrictions were relaxed, his scoring slowed significantly. SRH spinners Shahbaz Ahmed and Mayank Markande managed to restrict Kohli's scoring rate.
Kohli's struggles intensified after the powerplay overs ended. He failed to score any boundaries and was eventually dismissed by Jaydev Unadkat in the 15th over, still stuck on 51 runs. This slow scoring phase significantly impacted RCB's momentum.
While Kohli managed a 65-run partnership with Rajat Patidar, it was the latter who dominated the scoring against the spinners. Patidar even smashed four sixes in a single over bowled by Markande, highlighting the stark contrast in their approaches. Kohli, on the other hand, seemed to be lacking timing and couldn't capitalize on the scoring opportunities.
"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 outâ€æ 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," Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports.
Adding to the criticism, former Australian opener Simon Katich pointed out that Kohli's slow knock hurt RCB's chances of reaching a much higher total. He argued that the strong start in the powerplay presented an opportunity to score big, especially considering SRH's recent habit of posting high scores in excess of 200.
"Yeah, there is no doubt he lost impetus. I think Rajat Patidar played beautifully, and he was the one who was trying to hit the fours and sixes. Virat Kohli probably needed to do that. I think that the sub 120 strike rate probably cost RCB 220-plus against SunRisers. Against SRH, 206 on the board, might not be enough," Katich said.
Despite Kohli leading the IPL 2024 Orange Cap table with 430 runs in 9 matches, his team RCB is struggling. They are on a 6-match losing streak and are rooted to the bottom of the points table with just 2 points from 8 matches.
RCB will next face Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 28 at the Narendra Modi stadium while SRH will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on the same day.
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