RCB batter Virat Kohli responded strongly to ongoing criticism about his strike rate in IPL 2024 before being named to India’s squad for the T20 World Cup on Tuesday. Last week, the batting ace became the first player to score 500 runs in IPL 2024.
With Kohli’s bat speaking volumes, the prolific batsman has earned praise from former Indian coach and commentator Ravi Shastri. Kohli’s explosive striking in the IPL 2024 fueled heated debate before the Indian squad selection for the ICC T20 World Cup. Shastri commented that striking a balance between individual brilliance and team success is crucial.
“Your strike rate tends to drop when the wickets are falling at the other end. If you notice, there are only a couple of consistent players in RCB,” Ravi Shastri told Stake.com
Shastri’s comments came after Kohli slammed former players for their statements on his strike rate. The right-handed batter accused his critics of ignoring his match-winning performances in the last 15 years. Meanwhile, Kohli scored a match-winning 70 runs off 44 balls to lead his Royal Challengers Bangalore team to a nine-wicket victory over the 2022 IPL champions, Gujarat Titans. Kohli’s determined batting effort combined with an unbeaten century by teammate Will Jacks powered RCB to comfortably chase down Gujarat’s 201 run target in just 16 overs at Narendra Modi Stadium.
Virat Kohli has scored 500 runs for RCB at a strike rate of 147.49, including one century and four half-centuries. The 35-year-old Kohli has now crossed 500 runs in an IPL season for the seventh time, a feat only matched by David Warner. With over 7,700 career IPL runs, Kohli holds the record for the most runs scored in the history of the tournament.
Despite Kohli’s batting brilliance RCB are 10th on the IPL points table. They face Gujarat Giants in a reverse fixture at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
