"No one will ever talk about his strike rate" - Varun Aaron on questions about Virat Kohli heading into 2024 T20 World Cup Super 8s
Varun Aaron has noted that Virat Kohli is known for silencing his critics whenever questions are raised about his performances. He cited the example of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) player's performances in IPL 2024, noting that no one will question his strike rate anymore.
Kohli headed into the 2024 T20 World Cup in exemplary form after winning the Orange Cap in this season's IPL. However, he managed only five runs in three innings in India's group-stage games in New York.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Aaron was asked about expectations from Kohli in the West Indies after an indifferent run in New York.
"Virat gives answers whenever questions are raised about his performance. If you see in the IPL, there were a lot of questions raised on his strike rate, and after that, Virat made such a comeback that he silenced everyone. I feel no one will ever talk about his strike rate," he responded.
The former India speedster expects the modern batting great to regain his run-scoring ways in the West Indies.
"Similarly, if you see now, he remained cold in the first two or three matches. It can happen with any batter on such wickets. However, people need to understand that Virat just needs to put a switch on and he starts scoring runs. Virat will definitely be disappointed with his last three matches but come the West Indies, Virat will look a different batter when he plays on such wickets," Aaron stated.
Kohli scored one and four against Ireland and Pakistan respectively in India's first two games. He was dismissed for a golden duck against the United States of America in the Men in Blue's final match in New York.
"On which surface and in which country does Virat have a bad average?" - Varun Aaron on Virat Kohli's good record in the West Indies
Varun Aaron was further asked about Virat Kohli's good record in the West Indies across formats.
"Tell me one thing, on which surface and in which country does Virat have a bad average? It's a fact that Virat Kohli scores runs wherever he goes, and he scores runs with a certain aggression and adapts according to the conditions," he replied.
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that adaptability is Kohli's greatest virtue.
"Virat Kohli's biggest plus point is that he doesn't play a similar kind of game everywhere. He adapts to the conditions and that is the biggest hallmark of a great batter," Aaron observed.
Kohli has smashed 112 runs at an average of 37.33 and a strike rate of 141.77 in three T20I innings in the West Indies. The Indian batting mainstay has amassed 825 runs at an average of 58.92 and a strike rate of 91.56 in 17 ODI innings in the Caribbean.