Virat Kohli deserves strike-rate criticism. This statistic makes it clear why. cricket news

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are back on winning ways but the manner of their victory does not paint a promising picture. Rajat Patidar’s explosive 50 off 20 balls proved to be the difference maker as the franchise reached 206/7 in 20 overs. RCB’s bowling unit, which has failed to perform well on most occasions, came out at its best and rattled the SRH top-order early in the match. While this win keeps RCB in the race for a playoff spot, one big issue remains for the franchise. This is Virat Kohli’s game after the powerplay. (IPL 2024 points table)

Against Hyderabad, the charismatic batsman got off to a good start and scored 32 runs off 18 balls inside the powerplay. But, just after the end of the sixth over, the pace of Virat’s runs slowed down considerably.

Kohli could score only 19 runs in 25 balls while failing to hit even a single four. As bowlers like Jaydev Unadkat were increasing the pace of the ball, Virat was finding it incredibly difficult to keep the ball in the middle and score quick runs for his team. The result was that this iconic batsman did not even celebrate after reaching his half-century.

But, in such difficult times, Virat could not stay on the pitch for long and was out after scoring 51 runs in 43 balls.

As the IPL has progressed, criticism of Kohli’s strike-rate has also intensified, especially amid the ongoing discussion over T20 World Cup 2024 selection. Virat, one of the great players of the game, has not convinced everyone with his approach in the shortest format of the game. Although there seems to be a clear intention to accelerate, Kohli slows down in the middle overs, which impacts the pace with which his team looks to score runs.

With teams consistently scoring over 200 runs in this IPL, there is very little room left for anchors in T20 cricket. Even Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Daniel Vettori admitted this in the post-match press conference.

“I think the wicket was still quite good. People who came said it is a surface on which you can score runs. It is difficult to play the anchor role when you are chasing 207, You obviously need to be aggressive. “It’s a little difficult for some to sit together and play the anchor role,” Vettori said after the game.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad match is a clear example of the areas Kohli needs to improve on, that too in a short period of time, with T20 World Cup selection and the showpiece event just a month away.