"If he took his foot a little off the brake" - Tom Moody on Virat Kohli's underwhelming innings against Delhi Capitals
Former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody suggested that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star Virat Kohli might need to revisit his batting template in the IPL. Moody's comments came after the former captain's underwhelming half-century on Saturday against the Delhi Capitals.
Although Kohli top-scored with 55 against the Capitals, it came off 46 balls with only five boundaries. The 34-year-old could not get the ball away frequently as RCB finished with 181, which didn't prove enough as DC's Phil Salt exploded with a 43-ball 87.
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo's Timeout, the 57-year-old acknowledged that Kohli is a run-machine, but thinks RCB could've got more had he accelerated.
"It's an interesting one. We will always have this debate because it is the Virat Kohli template. It's the way he bats. His career strike-rate is around 130. His ability to continue to churn out runs is quite extraordinary. But did they get as many as they could have? If he took his foot a little off the brake and went with Lomror, and tried to target a boundary an over himself, we will never know."
Before Kohli's dismissal in the 16th over, the Delhi-born cricketer last scored a boundary in the 13th over. The 46-ball knock meant his strike rate was 119.56.
"We all need to be going here at 150+ without a doubt" - Tom Moody
Moody further underlined that the emergence of the impact player rule means there is no place for an anchor in a T20 XI.
"But maybe he also felt that whilst the other end was flying along, his role was to feed that other end. But in my view, particularly with the impact player, the game has really moved on from that style of cricket. That's why we are seeing so many totals go to 200+. There is no such role. We all need to be going here at 150+ without a doubt because we have the comfort of depth."
With the seven-wicket win, the Capitals are off the bottom of the points table, having won four out of their last five matches.