Aaron Finch defended Virat Kohli’s slow knock against SRH, saying Kohli prioritized giving strike to his teammate Rajat Patidar, who was batting aggressively.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli’s knock against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Thursday, April 25th, sparked debate after he scored 51 runs off 43 balls. While Kohli anchored the innings, his scoring pace outside the powerplay (19 runs off 25 balls) raised questions about his intent.
In the match, Virat Kohli held RCB’s inning steady as he opened and stayed till the 15th over, but his low strike rate during his inning collected a lot of criticism from fans as well as cricket experts.
Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar was among those critical of Kohli’s strike rate, stating, “When you are facing the strike in the first ball of the innings and you get out in the 14th or the 15th over, you have got a strike rate of 118; that’s not what your team expects from you.”
However, former Australian captain Aaron Finch offered a different perspective. Speaking to Star Sports, Finch highlighted the importance of the partnership between Kohli and the explosive Rajat Patidar, who scored a quickfire 50 off just 20 balls and was awarded Player of the Match.
“One thing you have to keep in mind is that Patidar was going crazy at the other end. Sometimes your job as a set batter is to take the game a little bit deeper and get Patidar on strike as much as possible. That’s where the intent to hit boundaries comes out. You can look at him [Kohli] in isolation and say, ‘Yes, it dropped.’ But as a partnership, it worked really well. He [Kohli] did the right thing by getting Patidar up there,” commented Finch, defending Virat’s approach to taking quick singles instead of firing the bat.
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Finch’s comments suggested that Kohli, recognising Patidar’s hot hand, prioritised rotating the strike and allowing his teammate to capitalise on the scoring opportunities. This strategy ultimately proved successful, as RCB comfortably defeated SRH by 35 runs.
Despite the questions surrounding his strike rate in this particular match, Virat Kohli remains the leader in the Orange Cap standings with 435 runs from nine matches. His current average sits at an impressive 61.43, with a strike rate of 145.76. While the debate about Kohli’s ideal role in RCB’s batting order may continue, his overall contribution to the team remains significant.
Last Updated on April 26, 2024
