"Maybe Virat Kohli doesn't have the confidence to take on Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar" - Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar has tried to explain the peculiar dip in at IPL captain Virat Kohli's strike rate in the middle overs despite getting off to a good start in the powerplay.
The former Indian batsman remarked that it wasn't a case of Virat Kohli 'anchoring' the innings. Instead, he noted that the issue might be rooted in the RCB skipper's lack of confidence in taking on spinners like Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar when the situation demanded him to play the "power game".
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar said:
"This wasn't a case of Virat Kohli trying to anchor because, you know, he was ticking out singles and not taking any chances, even when Bharat was out there. It wasn't that they had lost wickets and he had to sort of tone down a little bit... and it once again coincided with that 40-50 phase of his individual score where the spinners come in... Maybe we can take this a little deeper... against pace where the ball is coming on he's able to hit those shots... but maybe aganinst spin he doesn't have the confidence to step out and hit 2-3 sixes in an over because that's when you really need the power game."
He added:
"All the sixes that we saw from him today were interesting because the ball was falling just over the boundary rope by a couple of feet. So maybe he didn't have the confidence to take on Krunal Pandya or Rahul Chahar for big shots... but it also seems to coincide with his individual score being 40-50."
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Virat Kohli got to his half century in Abu Dhabi off 40 balls. However, it only took him 27 balls to reach 40 and then 13 deliveries for the next 10 runs. The pattern was similar to his last fifty in the tournament where he scored 53 off 41 and got out trying to hit Dwayne Bravo over deep mid-wicket.
Hope it's not the case where Virat Kohli is too keen to get to his fifty: Sanjay Manjrekar
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Sanjay Manjrekar also suggested that Virat Kohli's troubles often appear when he's nearing his half-century. The former cricketer even expressed his hope that the 32-year-old wasn't losing shape and ability to attack in his attempt to safely reach the milestone. He explained:
"Second time in a row you see the same scenario - gets to 32 off 21 balls and then just 19 off the next 21 balls. And against spin 21 balls for just 19 runs batting first, trying to set a target at what looks like a high-scoring venue...When you watch Virat Kohli play Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar... everyone else went after both the spinners but he was just ticking off singles again not taking any chances at all."
Sanjay Manjrekar added:
"Once again he got to his fifty and played a big shot. So there's something out there that I am seeing and I hope that it's not the case where he's really very keen to get to his fifty. But how do you explain 19 off 21 from Virat Kohli against spin when the others at the same time are cashing in a lot more?"
Kohli's batting strike rate and his inability to extend half-centuries will continue to be a matter of debate. Despite that, he was able to lead RCB to a massive win over MI in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy of Harshal Patel's hat-trick and Yuzvendra Chahal's three-wicket haul, RCB bowled Rohit Sharma and co. out for just 111, taking home a 54-run victory.
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