India’s Virat Kohli during the 2nd T20I cricket match between Afghanistan and India, at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. (PTI)
Virat Kohli was among those named in India’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup on Tuesday. On Sunday, he continued to lead the scoring charts in the ongoing Indian Premier League season. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener remained unbeaten at 70 off 44 deliveries against the Gujarat Titans as RCB made a mockery of a 201-run target.
After the chase, speaking to the host broadcasters, Kohli launched a scathing attack on those questioning his strike rate in the shortest format. “All the people who talk about strike rates and me not playing spin well are the ones talking about this stuff. For me, it’s about winning games for the team and there’s a reason why you’ve done it for 15 years, you’ve done this day in and day out, you’ve won games for your teams,” the 35-year-old said.
Former New Zealand pacer-turned-broadcaster Simon Doull however, is of the belief that Kohli shouldn’t make such remarks and stay away from the comments made against him on social media.
“Interesting that he goes back to these things because they won’t be asking him. Are you looking up your strike rate? Those won’t be the questions. Clearly he’s reading social media or someone is reading all the social media about him. And he does this quite often in post-match presentations, where he has a point to make,” Doull told Cricbuzz.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli and Will Jacks celebrate after winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 T20 cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)
“About stuff that is written about him. Why is he bothering? I mean, seriously, the bloke is such a good player. Why is he bothering reading the rubbish that some people write or why are people reading it and telling him? I don’t understand that? I just look at what he’s done and….why would you bother reading social media and try to make a point about it in interviews? If he’s reading social media, he should have better things to do,” he added.
Kohli had made his return to India’s T20 squad in January after not having played a T20I since India’s World Cup exit in 2022. In Australia, the former India skipper had finished as the leading run-scorer for the men in blue. Kohli is also the all-time top scorer in men’s T20 World Cup with 1141 runs to his name from 27 matches.
In IPL 2024, the RCB opener has 500 runs from 10 outings, averaging 71.43 at a strike rate of 147.49.
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