Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket superstar, finds himself in a tough spot despite his remarkable batting performances in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. Holding the coveted ‘Orange Cap’ as the leading run-scorer, Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team has been struggling to secure wins, inviting scrutiny and criticism. In a recent match against the Rajasthan Royals, Kohli displayed his batting prowess by scoring an unbeaten 113 runs, his personal best in the T20 league. However, this achievement has landed him in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
While fans and experts acknowledge Kohli’s batting skills, questions have been raised about his strike rate and the intent behind his century. Pakistani cricketer Junaid Khan took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to add fuel to the fire. Khan mercilessly trolled Kohli, labelling his century as the “slowest century in the history of IPL.”
During his innings against the Rajasthan Royals, Kohli smashed four sixes and twelve boundaries off 72 balls, matching his previous highest score in the IPL, achieved in 2016 against the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). However, this century is also tied with Manish Pandey’s 67-ball century in 2009 as the slowest century in IPL history.
The list of slowest IPL centuries includes prominent names such as Sachin Tendulkar, David Warner, Jos Buttler, and Kevin Pietersen. It is clear that Kohli’s batting approach, despite its success, has sparked a debate around the importance of strike rate in the fast-paced T20 format.
In response to the criticism, Kohli himself admitted that the pitch conditions made scoring difficult. Although the surface appeared flat, the ball held up, altering the pace and making shot-making challenging. Kohli emphasized the need for one of the batsmen, either him or Faf du Plessis, to anchor the innings until the end. He also highlighted his maturity and experience in adapting to the conditions and playing accordingly.
As the tournament progresses, Kohli’s strike rate and intent will continue to be scrutinized, especially as RCB aims to secure crucial victories. It remains to be seen how the Indian cricket icon will respond to the criticism and whether he can strike a balance between scoring runs and maintaining a high strike rate in the remaining matches of the IPL 2024.
