“People can talk about their own ideas and assumptions of the game, but those who have done in day in [and] day out know what’s happening”
Virat Kohli did not hold back on sweeping spinners or his detractors in Ahmedabad  •  AFP/Getty Images
Virat Kohli was forthright in taking aim at his critics after making a match-winning 70* off 44 balls against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
Kohli also notched up 500 runs in an IPL season for the seventh time during his knock against GT, and also brushed aside perception around his strike rate and approach against spin. He had come into the game having scored at 161.62 against pace bowlers, but a much lower 123.57 against spinners in IPL 2024, but didn’t see it as an issue.
“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 just about winning the game for the team,” Kohli said. “And there’s a reason why you do it for 15 years – because you’ve done this day in [and] day out; you’ve won games for your teams.”
Kohli got the better of GT’s solid spin attack that featured Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Sai Kishore. Sixty one of his 70 runs in Ahmedabad came against spin, and it included five out of his six fours and all three of his sixes. Twenty-two of those 60 runs also came off sweeps – a shot that he doesn’t employ regularly against spin.
“I am not quite sure if you’ve been in that situation yourself to sit and and speak about the game from a box. I don’t really think it’s the same thing. So for me, it’s just about doing my job. People can talk about their own ideas and assumptions of the game, but those who have done in day in [and] day out know what’s happening, and it’s kind of a muscle memory for me now.”
Despite winning by nine wickets with 24 balls to spare, RCB remain at the bottom of the points table with three wins and seven losses. However, they are turning over a new leaf after having won just one of their first eight games.
“Look, we wanted to step up for ourselves, [and] play for a bit of self-respect,” Kohli said. “We can’t carry on in a big tournament like we did in the first half, so it’s just about going out there and playing the cricket we want to.
“If you see with the ball as well, we are attacking the game way more, and the bowlers are being courageous. The fielders are putting bodies on the line. So that’s the way we want to play our cricket. That’s the way we always play, and it’s not been up to the standard so far in the tournament, barring the last two games.
“So yeah, we just want to continue with the same work, and just have a good atmosphere in the change room, and for us as cricketers, have some self-respect, [be aware of] why we are playing at this level, and also for the fans who back us tremendously well.”
