Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) superstar batter Virat Kohli continued his impressive IPL record by scoring his eighth century during their match against Rajasthan Royals on April 6. Kohli remained unbeaten on a valiant 113 off 72 balls, showcasing his batting prowess. However, his knock ultimately went in vain as RCB fell short of the target set by Rajasthan. Despite his fighting knock, some fans criticised Kohli for what they perceived as a slow knock. This criticism drew a strong reaction from Rajkumar Sharma, Kohli's childhood coach. Sharma defended his ward, highlighting that Kohli maintained a decent strike rate (156.94) despite the lack of support from other batters. He further suggested that some fans may be unfairly targeting Kohli, using his name for personal gain and exploiting his popularity.
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"Those who have been saying that it was a slow century should realize the situation of the match, the score, and his strike rate. They know that if they talk about Virat Kohli, they will get the limelight, and their news will become popular," Rajkumar Sharma said during a conversation with Indian News.
"I have sent you Virat's stats. You should see his strike rate and the percentage of runs in knockout matches for India at T20 World Cups. They don't have any knowledge of cricket. Wickets kept falling at the other end, but still, he continued scoring at a strike rate of around 135," he further added.
Kohli's childhood coach further alleged the existence of a group actively targeting the RCB star with a biased agenda. He emphasised that anyone with genuine cricketing expertise would never engage in such unproductive criticism.
“Look, this is a lobby which is running an agenda. They're just pushing an agenda, and as fans or true analysts we don't care about their agenda. See, the king will always be the king. A person who knows even the 'C' of cricket would never do such nonsense," Sharma concluded.
Virat Kohli stands tall amidst Royal Challengers Bengaluru's struggles this season. Currently holding the coveted Orange Cap, Kohli has amassed an impressive 316 runs in just five matches, boasting a healthy strike rate of 146.29. However, Kohli's individual brilliance hasn't translated into team success. RCB find themselves languishing in ninth place on the points table, highlighting the team's lack of consistency despite Kohli's consistent batting performance. RCB will lock horns with Mumbai Indians (MI) in their next match at the Wankhede stadium on April 11.
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