• Sportzyverse
• IPL 2024
• 04/26/2024
• 0 Comments

Sunil Gavaskar, one of the first to support Virat Kohli, has expressed his disappointment with Kohli’s performance during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL 2024 victory on Thursday. Despite RCB breaking their six-game losing streak with a win, Kohli’s innings of 51 off 43 balls drew significant criticism for its lack of acceleration, especially from Gavaskar, who voiced his concerns on air.

Kohli’s Slowed Pace Post-Powerplay

Kohli started his innings strongly, scoring 32 off 18 balls, including four boundaries and a six during the Powerplay. However, once the field spread out and Kohli’s partner Rajat Patidar took over, Kohli’s strike rate significantly slowed. He scored just 19 off his successive 25 balls, which left Gavaskar unimpressed.

“It’s just been singles, singles and singles from Kohli. There is [Dinesh] Karthik to come; there is [Mahipal] Lomror to come. You’ve got to try and take a few risks now,” Gavaskar said during commentary.

“Yes, Kohli has played and missed; it’s not easy because when you’ve been in your shell, you’ve just been working the ones, suddenly connecting is not going to be easy. But that is what Kohli needs to do; he needs to attempt. He has got to attempt the big shots now.”

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Concerns Over Kohli’s Strike Rate

Kohli reached his fifty off 37 balls, while Patidar reached his in just 19 balls. Gavaskar noted that Kohli’s lack of boundary-hitting for nine overs and RCB’s boundary drought for four overs was concerning. Kohli was dismissed for 51 by Jaydev Unadkat, who took 3/30.

Gavaskar expressed concern that RCB could have struggled had Cameron Green not played a quick 37 off 20 and Patidar not played his aggressive innings. “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,” Gavaskar stated.

“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 a strike rate of 118, that’s not what your team expects from you,” Gavaskar concluded.

Gavaskar’s criticism of Kohli’s strike rate has sparked debate among fans and cricket experts. Kohli’s role in anchoring the innings versus the need for acceleration remains a complex balance that RCB will need to navigate in future matches. The expectations from the former Indian captain and RCB star are always high, and his performance in upcoming games will be closely watched.