Virat Kohli has ‘struck back’ at his critics. The star Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter had come under heavy fire for his excruciatingly slow knock against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. A 37-ball fifty isn’t fast by any means, and that got worse when he scored just 1 run in the next six balls.
No middle-over slowdown
In the GT vs RCB match, Virat Kohli completely flipped the script. He struck a fourth half-century of the season and took his side to the 201-run target in just 16 overs. That 70-run knock from 44 balls at a strike rate of 159.09 is much better than his sluggish show on April 25.
He scored 28 runs from 19 balls (a strike rate of 147.36) in the powerplay and upped that to 168 (42 runs in 25 balls) in the middle overs, the phase where he had slowed down through the IPL 2024 season.
GT vs RCB: Strike rate by phase
| Overall | Powerplay (1-6) | Middle (7-15) |
|---|---|---|
| 159.09 | 147.36 | 168 |
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Still much to improve in the strike rate department for Virat Kohli
Throughout his T20 playing career, Virat Kohli has followed the same pattern. Strike fast in the powerplay, slow down to control the game in the middle overs, and then up the ante in the death. He’s been doing the same in IPL 2024 as well. But the GT vs DC was a bit different.
He slightly slowed down in the powerplay (147.36) compared to his average of 154.43. But it was the middle overs where he exploded. Usually, he’s been batting at 137.17 during the 7-15 period but went at 168 against the Gujarat Titans. His death overs record remained the same as the match was over by the end of the 16th over.
Although one would like for him to strike faster, it is an improvement. Before the match, his middle-overs strike was 133, and now it stands at 137. Now, the India cricket team would hope that he further increases it and helps them lift the T20 World Cup 2024.
IPL 2024: Strike rate by phase
| Overall | Powerplay (1-6) | Middle (7-15) | Death (16-20) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 147.1 | 154.43 | 137.17 | 177.5 |
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