Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) star batter Virat Kohli has been a consistent run-scorer in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season, despite facing criticism over his strike rate. Kohli currently sits second in the scoring charts with 500 runs in 10 matches, just nine runs behind Orange Cap holder Ruturaj Gaikwad. However, his innings have often been overshadowed by his debatable strike rate.
Amidst the criticism, Kohli has found support from former India cricketers Irfan Pathan and Mohammad Kaif. They have slammed his critics for double standards, citing the example of SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Travis Head.
Head has been in impressive form in the IPL, scoring 396 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of over 194. However, during SRH’s match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), Head struggled to time the ball, scoring 58 off 44 balls with a strike rate of 131.8.
Irfan and Kaif argued that if Kohli had played a similar knock, his strike rate would have been heavily criticized. “According to his ability, you have never seen him play like this. No matter what you say that there was good bowling and everything, but every cricketer should be treated equally,” said Irfan.
Kaif echoed his sentiments, adding, “If this was Virat Kohli, I can guarantee that people would have said only 58 runs in 44 balls? What is this? They would say it is low and there would have debates about his strike rate. But I believe that this was a good innings by Head.”
Irfan further highlighted Kohli’s importance to RCB, especially considering the team’s struggles in the tournament. “But if there was Virat Kohli instead, people would have stuck to the strike rate but here we are talking about taking responsibility for team’s victory, so please treat everyone equally,” he added.
Kohli himself has addressed the debate surrounding his strike rate, taking a swipe at his critics after the match against Gujarat Titans. “All the people who talk about [my] strike rate and me not playing spin well are the ones who love to talk about these things. But for me, it is just about winning the game. There’s a reason why you do it for 15 years. Because you do this day in and day out and won games for your team,” said Kohli.
Kohli will have the opportunity to reclaim the Orange Cap when RCB face Gujarat Titans on Saturday.
