While Kohli has always excelled in scoring runs, his strike rate has often been scrutinized by experts and fans alike.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are poised to secure a spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 playoffs as they prepare to take on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a crucial match this Saturday.
After a slow start to the season, RCB has turned their fortunes around with an impressive five consecutive wins. Initially struggling at the bottom of the table with seven losses in their first eight matches, RCB's recent string of victories has brought them within reach of a top four finish in the league phase. Leading the charge in RCB's resurgence is none other than star batsman and former captain Virat Kohli, who currently leads the race for the Orange Cap in IPL 2024.
The 35-year-old cricketer continues to dominate as the highest scorer, amassing an impressive 661 runs at a strike rate of 155.16 from 13 matches. While Kohli has always excelled in scoring runs, his strike rate has often been scrutinized by experts and fans alike.
In his recent five innings, Kohli has displayed a newfound intent in his batting, resulting in a positive trend in his strike rate.
Prior to their match against CSK, Kohli engaged in a light-hearted conversation with Mr. Nags, a character portrayed by TV presenter Danish Sait. The video of their interaction was shared by RCB on their social media platforms. During the chat, Nags humorously questioned Kohli about their friendship, suggesting it was based on Kohli being a common man rather than a commentator.
Kohli responded with a knowing smile, acknowledging the playful jab. However, Nags continued to surprise Kohli with his references, leaving the cricketer momentarily speechless.
"See Virat, I want to talk about a friend of yours. Not mine but your friend. He said a lot of nice things about you... Sunil," said Mr Nags with a cheeky smile.
"Who?" Kohli asked perplexedly. "Chhetri," Nags replied.
Despite Nags insisting that Sunil was none other than the retiring football team captain Chhetri, fans quickly caught on to the pun behind it.
For those unfamiliar, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar had criticized Kohli for his outburst regarding people questioning his batting intent and strike rate.
"If you have a strike rate of 118, you come and face the first ball, and then you get out in the 14th or 15th over and your strike rate is 118 - if you want applause for that, then that's a little bit different. We've all played a bit of cricket, not a lot of cricket, but we speak about what we see. We don't necessarily have any likes and dislikes. Even if we have likes or dislikes, we actually speak about what's happening. So, I would be very disappointed if Star Sports showed this once more because that would be questioning all of us commentators," Gavaskar had said on Star Sports after Kohli's outburst.
The scathing criticism garnered significant attention on social media. In response, Kohli showcased his prowess with the bat in the following match, scoring an impressive 92 runs off 47 balls against Punjab Kings. Following his blazing performance, he cleverly referenced his strike rate, adding a touch of humor to his achievement.
"It was important to keep up my strike-rate through the innings, so I wanted to take on the momentum," Kohli said during the mid-innings interview with the broadcasters.
Also read| IPL 2024 playoff scenarios explained after SRH vs GT washout, three teams battle for last spot
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 "'Said nice things about you....': RCB tease Virat Kohli with friend 'Sunil' reference, his reaction goes viral")
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