‘They Love Talking About It, But For Me…’: Virat Kohli’s Fierce Response to Strike-Rate Debate After Another Fifty in IPL 2024 – News18
Virat Kohli finished the game vs GT with an unbeaten 70 in 44 balls (Sportzpics)
Virat Kohli has been criticised by many for not being able to maintain his strike-rate as per the format’s standards and the RCB man had a strong response to this.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru have managed to get their second win in a row by emphatically beating Gujarat Titans by nine wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Once again leading the line was none other than Virat Kohli helped set the tone in the powerplay and stuck through to the end to shut down the critics on his strike rate and his ability to play the spinners.
Speaking at the post-match interview, Kohli praised the Kiwi international for his resilience as he struggled to get going from ball one. Despite this, he was able to stick around and find his touch to pick up the pace.
“Phenomenal! When Jacks came in to bat, he couldn’t strike the ball like he wanted to. But we know how explosive he can be. But he went after Mohit, and my role changed. I was just happy to be at the other end,” said Kohli.
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One of the key points of discussion about Kohli has been his ability to maintain his strike rate through the innings and he managed to put the plug on that as he finished the innings with 70 runs in 44 balls at a strike rate of 159.09.
The RCB star had a fierce response to his naysayers. He said,” All the people who talk about strike rates and me not playing spin well are the ones who love talking about this stuff. But for me, it’s about winning the game for the team”.
The Indian ace has been the national team’s go-to man for plenty of years across all formats and reckons that some of the criticism he has received was unwarranted and he highlighted the fact that he has been doing this for many years.
“There’s a reason why you do it for 15 years. You’ve done it day in and day out and won games for your team. I am not quite sure if you have not been in that situation yourself, to sit and speak about the game from the box, I don’t think that’s the same thing” added Kohli.
He concluded with another fierce response where he suggested that the criticism he had received was from people who did not know what it meant to be in his shoes.
“For me, it’s just about doing my job. People can talk about their ideas and assumptions about the game, but those who have done it day in and day out know what’s happening. It’s just muscle memory for me at this point,” Kohli concluded.
