NEW DELHI:
Virat Kohli
‘s performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he emerged as the highest scorer for
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
, came under scrutiny from the legendary
Sunil Gavaskar
. Despite Kohli’s contribution, Gavaskar expressed his disapproval of the pace at which the runs were scored.
The former Indian cricketer’s criticism highlighted the importance of strike rate in the fast-paced format of the game.
While Kohli’s runs were valuable, the tempo at which they were accumulated seemed to be a point of concern for Gavaskar.
Former RCB captain Kohli scored 51 runs off 43 balls, featuring four fours and a six. What baffled Gavaskar was Kohli’s approach, as he initially scored 32 runs off 18 balls, but his next 19 runs came from 25 deliveries.
“In the middle, he just seemed to have lost touch. I am not sure of the exact numbers, but I think from 31-32 to the time he got out, he did not hit a boundary. So at the end of the day, when he got out when you are facing the strike in the first ball of the innings and you get out in the 14th or the 15th over, you have got strike rate of 118, that’s not what your team expects from you,” Gavaskar said on air.
Earlier,
Rajat Patidar
‘s explosive innings stood in stark contrast to Kohli’s measured approach as RCB put up 206 for seven against SRH in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Patidar (50 off 20 balls) did the bulk of the work in his 65-run stand with Kohli, who was focused on giving the strike to his partner.