[Watch] "They don't have any knowledge of cricket" - Virat Kohli's childhood coach reacts to RCB batter's strike rate chatter in IPL 2024
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) ace batter Virat Kohli notched up his eighth Indian Premier League (IPL) century during the team's match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur on April 6.
Kohli was the lone warrior for RCB in that game, remaining unbeaten on 113 in 72 balls. While he finished with a strike rate of 156.94, certain fans slammed him for scoring the joint-slowest century (67 balls) in the league's history.
Rajkumar Sharma, the former RCB skipper's childhood coach, lashed out at his ward's critics. He argued that Kohli continued to score at a decent rate despite not getting enough support from other batters.
He further claimed that people have created an agenda against Virat Kohli as they know that talking about him will help them become popular.
Speaking to India News, Sharma said:
"Those who have been saying that it was a slow century should realize the situation of the match, the score, and his strike rate. They know that if they talk about Virat Kohli, they will get the limelight, and their news will become popular."
Pointing out how Kohli has been a proven performer for India at T20 World Cups, Rajkumar Sharma added:
"I have sent you Virat's stats. You should see his strike rate and the percentage of runs in knockout matches for India at T20 World Cups. They don't have any knowledge of cricket. Wickets kept falling at the other end, but still, he continued scoring at a strike rate of around 135."
Virat Kohli is currently the Orange Cap holder in IPL 2024. The seasoned campaigner has amassed 316 runs in five outings at a strike rate of 146.29.
"For an opener, strike-rate of 130-140 is pretty alright" - Brian Lara comes out in support of Virat Kohli
Former West Indies captain and batting legend Brian Lara opined that Virat Kohli's strike rate isn't a major concern, considering that he opens the batting for his team.
Lara suggested that batters who play towards the back end of the innings are the ones who need to score at a much faster pace. Speaking to Star Sports, Lara said:
"The strike rate depends on position, and for an opener strike-rate of 130-140 is pretty alright. But if you are coming in the middle-order then you may be required to hit at 150 or 160. As you have seen in this IPL, batsmen are hitting at 200 in the latter part of an innings."
Virat Kohli will next be seen in action on Thursday, April 11, when RCB take on Mumbai Indians (MI) at Wankhede Stadium.