"Virat's SR 138, Rohit's 139": T20 WC Winner Blasts Those Targetting Kohli

Virat Kohli has been one of the few positives in an otherwise blow hot, blow cold campaign of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2024. The former Indian cricket team captain has already scored a ton and two half-centuries in six matches to lead the run-scoring charts. However, that hasn’t meant that Virat Kohli has gone about without getting criticised. He has a strike-rate of 141.77 and often plays the ‘anchor’ role for RCB.

Many feel that the ‘anchor’ role is no longer suited for modern-day T20. With the T20 World Cup squad to be announced soon, there is much intrigue about what Kohli’s role is exactly going to be.

Former Indian cricket team all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who was part of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning side, lashed out on those singling out Kohli’s strike-rate. He then pointed out how Virat Kohli’s T20I strike-rate (138.15) is almost similar to Rohit Sharma’s (139.97) and better than Chris Gayle’s (137.50).

“Virat Kohli’s strike-rate is actually slightly better than Chris Gayle in T20Is. It’s 137 or close to 138, Hardik Pandya’s strike is 139, Rohit Sharma’s strike-rate is 139. We don’t talk about their strike-rate and we are talking about Virat. You need to make it strike-rate plus average,” Irfan Pathan, speaking exclusively on Star Sports Press Room, as a Cricket Expert and Commentator with the official TV  broadcaster of IPL 2024.

“You need to see the kind of role that particular player is playing. You can’t have same yardstick for each and every player. If a guy is batting at No. 6 or 7 and having a strike-rate of 137, will you be happy? You want better strike-rate. But if you have a guy, who has nearly 50 average plus a 137 strike-rate why would you even want to talk about whether he should be in the team or not.”

Even when, Kohli scored 113* off 72 ball with a strike-rate of 156.94, in RCB’s match against Rajasthan Royals, that the former lost, there were talks about his strike-rate.

Former Indian cricket team star batter Virender Sehwag was asked about Kohli’s knock during the mid-innings break of the match.

“I think RCB are 20 runs short. If I talk about Virat Kohli, the innings has been good. But the guys who had to accompany him, Glenn Maxwell, Cameroon Green, Dinesh Karthik did not come to bat, there was no Mahipal Lomror. Nobody was there at the end who could end. However, Virat Kohli’s strike-rate could have gone up. Because when you hit 50 off 39 balls, then the strike-rate goes up, nears 200 even. But the other batters did not do anything. All the pressure was on Kohli,” Virender Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.

“He is in form. That’s his role that he will stay till the end. The other batters who have been picked by paying so much money, they should prove their mettle. Like Maxwell. But nobody did anything today.”