Former India cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has praised Virat Kohli for improving his strike rate in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Manjrekar has often criticised Kohli's strike rate in the T20 format. Even while praising him, the former batter said that Kohli made the conscious effort to improve his strike rate because people started talking about him batting ‘a little too slowly’.
“This is, again, going to rile up Virat Kohli fans. We have seen Virat Kohli bat differently, bat superbly this season – at a strike rate of 140-150. This is the same Virat Kohli; there is nothing that has changed," Manjrekar told Sportstar.
“It is only that he has decided that he is going to bat quicker. And why has he decided that? Because he could see the pressure building and people talking about him batting a little too slowly," he added.
Trust in teammates led to strike rate improvement
Manjrekar revealed that the improvement in strike rate is a result of Kohli not looking to extend his innings and trusting more in the batters down the order.
“This 150 strike-rate was 125-130 three to four years back. It was only because Virat Kohli would hit a boundary and then pick up a one or a two. After all, he wanted to extend his innings and play longer because he felt he had to be the man to bat for most of the innings and didn’t trust the batters down the order," Manjrekar said.
“RCB changed when Virat Kohli, at the top, started batting quicker and didn’t make himself indispensable. That is when the others also blossomed," he added.
Kohli’s strike rate comparison over last few seasons
In the ongoing season, Kohli is in the orange cap race with 351 runs from eight innings at an average of 58.50 and strike rate of 162.50.
In the previous season, he scored 657 runs at a strike rate of 144.71. Before that, he scored 741 runs at a strike rate of 154.69. Notably, Kohli has never finished an IPL season with a strike rate of over 160. Even in the 2016 season where he scored 973 runs, his strike rate was 152.03.