"I don't think Virat Kohli should have spoken about it"- Wasim Akram on Kohli & Gavaskar's comments on strike rate debate [SK Match ki Baat Exclusive]
Former Pakistan legendary speedster Wasim Akram gave his opinion on the viral indirect exchanges between star cricketer Virat Kohli and the great Sunil Gavaskar over the former's strike rate. Wasim reckons Kohli should ignore the talk about his game as the commentators were just doing their job of analyzing.
There has been a lot of talk around Kohli's strike rate in the shortest format and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star had a go at the commentators in one of the post-match chats, claiming that he doesn't focus on the outside noise.
Sunil Gavaskar, on Star Sports, slammed the channel for showing the bits of Virat Kohli taking a dig at the commentators several times as he felt that was a disrespect to those who gave opinions.
Speaking on Sportskeeda's SK Match ki Baat, here's what Wasim Akram had to say about the topic:
"I don't think Virat should have spoken about it (criticism). The commentators are just doing their jobs. If there's a game where the strike rate goes under par and if people speak then just forget about it."
Virat Kohli has maintained a strike rate of 148.08 in the IPL 2024 season so far and has the Orange Cap currently with 542 runs at a fantastic average of 67.75.
Social media blows things out of proportion: Wasim Akram on Kohli-Gavaskar saga
Wasim Akram claimed that he knew both Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar personally and believes neither would be fretting about the topic that has gone viral on social media. He claimed that the media publications and social media personalities play a role in making a big deal out of it.
On this, Wasim stated:
"Media will always want something spicy. Your social media influencers, news channels, etc everyone wants to make a mountain of a molehill. Negativity brings engagement so it's all about this social media who blow things out of proportion. I know both of them really well and they will be fine."
Indian captain Rohit Sharma was seen laughing during the T20 World Cup 2024 press conference when asked about whether Virat Kohli's strike rate was a topic of debate during the selection meeting. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar quickly rubbished these talks and shed light on why Kohli's experience was crucial for India.