Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has raised concerns over Virat Kohli’s strike rate while playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season.
Gavaskar expressed his views on Kohli’s performance, suggesting that a higher strike rate would be more beneficial for the team’s success in the tournament.
He emphasized the importance of accelerating the run rate, particularly in the T20 format, to keep up with the pace of the game.
However, former Pakistani captain Wasim Akram has come forward to defend Kohli’s batting style. Akram argued that the ultimate value lies in the runs a player contributes to the team emphasizing that if the other players are not performing then it is not his fault, as cricket is a team game.
Citing that if Virat is scoring 100 runs with a strike rate of 150, then that should be deemed sufficient.
‘What criticism is he getting? That his team is losing. If the guy is scoring 100 at a 150 strike rate, isn’t it fine? If the team had won
, there wouldn’t have been criticism.’ said the legendary fast bowler.
While strike rate is crucial in shaping the dynamics of a match, Akram’s stance underscores the significance of assessing a player’s role as an anchor of the team and his overall contribution to the team.
The contrasting opinions of Gavaskar and Akram provide an intriguing backdrop to the ongoing IPL season, where Kohli’s batting approach continues to be a subject of discussion.
Kohli, known for his consistency, has been under scrutiny by the Indian media for maintaining a strike rate of 148.08 in this IPL season, scoring 542 runs across 11 matches.
With teams scoring 280-plus scores in the IPL, it seems like the anchor role is now slowly diminishing in the shortest format of the game and even a strike rate of 150 is not enough anymore in the IPL.
Source: Pro Pakistani