‘There’s a reason why you’ve done it for fifteen years’ – Kohli tears into strike rate critics
Virat Kohli tore into critics of his strike rate and spin game in a fiery post-match interview after RCB’s victory over GT in Ahmedabad today (April 28).
RCB recorded their second-highest run-chase in IPL earlier today (April 28), when they chased down a target of 201 set by GT. Kohli anchored the chase with an unbeaten 70 off 44 balls while Will Jacks scored an incredible hundred that came off the back of a brutal late acceleration.
Kohli currently holds the orange cap with 500 runs from 10 games at a strike rate of 147. At the post-match interview, he was asked about the milestone and whether he keeps a track of these numbers, to which he gave a terse response, targeting his critics. “Not really, I think,” he said.
“All the people who talk about strike rates and me not playing spin well are the ones who love talking about this stuff. But for me, it’s just about winning the game for the team.”
Will Jacks and Virat Kohli powered RCB to an impressive win 🔥#WillJacks #ViratKohli #GTvsRCB #IPL2024 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/SfJytnYqH2
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) April 28, 2024
Kohli’s spot in the T20I side for the upcoming World Cup has been questioned on the basis of a perceived weakness against spin. In the chase against GT, however, Kohli was more than decent against spinners, striking at 179 against the trio of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, and Sai Kishore.
He also called out those who criticise without having played the game. “And there’s a reason why you’ve done it for fifteen years. Because you’ve done this day in, day out,” Kohli said.
“You’ve won games for the teams. And I’m not quite sure – if you’ve not been in that situation yourself, to sit and speak about the game from the box, I don’t really think it’s the same thing. So for me, it’s just about doing my job. People can talk about their own ideas and assumptions of the game, but those who have done it day in, day out, they know what’s happening and it’s kind of muscle memory for me now.”
Earlier in the tournament, after RCB’s first victory of the season against Punjab Kings at Chinnaswamy, Kohli had said that he “has still got it” after scoring a match-winning 77 off 49 balls.
This was RCB’s third victory of the season from their tenth game. However, they are still languishing at the bottom of the table.
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