Royal Challengers Bangalore may have moved into the top-4 bracket with a 13-run over Chennai Super Kings, but the recent form of Virat Kohli remains a hot topic of debate. The star batter on Wednesday looked scratchy during his 30 off 33 deliveries before Moeen Ali cleaned him up with a loopy off-spinner. Kohli scored his first half-century of the season in his team’s defeat to Gujarat Titans last time out. But he’s amassed runs at a strike rate of just 111.92, which is the lowest among batters with 150-plus runs this season. (Follow IPL 2022 Coverage)
Amid the criticism surrounding Kohli’s fluency with the bat, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has lent support to the mercurial cricketer. Kohli had scored just nine runs including two golden ducks in three innings before notching up 58 and 30 against Gujarat and Chennai respectively. Shastri believes Kohli finding his run-scoring spree is more important for RCB than his strike rate.
“I don’t go big on that (strike rate). I will go and see the surface. If the surface is flat, then go. Then your strike rate has to be really good. But on a track like this, you might have to do the job for your team as well. Hold the innings together, and play the sheet anchor’s role. The strike rate will always be good at the end of the innings,” Ravi Shastri told Star Sports.
“Getting the runs is important, RCB winning is important. Opening pair getting runs is important, both of them. This looks good. This augurs well for RCB for the tough games coming up, going into the play-offs,” he further said.
Shastri also talked about Kohli’s dismissal against Moeen and credited the England all-rounder to beat the batter with a “classical” off-spin delivery. But the former India captain also underlined Kohli getting 88 runs in his last two IPL outings.
“He wants to get the ball into the gaps, the time it and get the runs early on. They both were set but when the spinners came on, it was gripping, it was even more difficult to rotate strike. It was the kind of wickets where you have to go through the period. It was tough when the ball was gripping. he got out at the stage, a beautiful delivery from Moeen Ali, a classical off-spinner’s delivery beating the inside of the bat.
“But 30 is 30, 50 is 50, in two innings it’s 80-plus. And there is a lot of cricket left to be played. So it augurs well,” Shastri further said.
Shastri also recalled Kohli’s previous dismissal against the Englishman where he was bowled in a similar fashion. In the Chennai Test last year, Moeen had stunned Kohli with a similar delivery that sent him packing for a duck.
“He would have been disappointed. He got off to a start. He did the hard work. Yes, the ball was turning, he is too good a player to give it away in that fashion. It’s not the first time he’s been out in that fashion to Moeen Ali.
“That would upset him. The signs are good, he has spent some time in the last game, he has spent some time at the crease the last time in this game. It was not easy when the spinners came on but he will be disappointed,” said Shastri.
