Speculations of Virat Kohli being considered to be dropped from the T20 world cup 2024 by the BCCI’s selection committee, It is just getting harder and harder for Kohli. The concern of the low strike rate is growing with 51 of 43 in the match against SRH in Hyderabad. Although he could score well in the initially, he failed to put the ball par the fence for plenty of ball after the powerplay
Vintage Kohli Returns but Strike Rate a Concern
The IPL’s biggest star Virat Kohli rolled back the years with a typically gritty 51 off 43 balls to lay the foundation for RCB’s challenging total of 206/7 against SRH. However, his laboured strike rate of 118.60 raised some concerns. Fans were extremely delighted by some of his previous performances specially the one where he score a century against RR (113 of 72) but the strike rate was still a matter of concern.
Powerplay Blitz
Kohli arrived at the Hyderabad crease in ominous form, smashing 32 runs off just 18 balls in the powerplay. He looked compact while timing the ball sweetly, finding the boundaries regularly against the new ball. His innings was studded with 4 crisp boundaries and a trademark lofted six over mid-wicket.
Middle Overs Struggle
Having raced away in the powerplay, Kohli slowed down dramatically in the middle overs. Between overs 7-14, he could only muster 19 runs off 25 balls without a single boundary. The former India captain seemed to go into his defensive shell against the spinners, unable to rotate strike or find his trademark wristy flicks.
Late Flourish
Kohli managed to break the shackles towards the end, collecting 17 runs off the final 6 balls he faced. He brought up his 50 with a single off the 37th delivery before eventually holing out to the deep for 51 off 43 balls.
Sluggish Strike Rate While the 51-run knock will be encouraging for Kohli, his slow strike rate of 118.60 raised eyebrows. In a batting lineup replete with strokemakers like Faf, Patidar and Green, Kohli appeared to play a little too defensively in the middle overs.
With power-hitters around him going ballistic, Kohli’s inability to keep rotating the strike did put extra pressure on the other RCB batters. It prevented them from kicking on towards a total over 220-230 that would have been truly commanding.
Future Implications
Kohli’s struggles to dramatically increase his strike rate in the middle and death overs is becoming an area of concern for his and India’s T20 future. The 34-year-old remains a supreme player of spin, but teams have started employing strategic fields to keep him quiet.
With younger power-hitters like Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma in fine form, questions may start arising over whether India’s T20 batting lineup needs a fresher approach better suited to modern requirements. Kohli will have to quickly find his mojo against spin if he is to cement his place for marquee events like the 2024 T20 World Cup.
RCB will certainly be hoping the fluent strokeplay displayed by Kohli during his 51 is a sign of bigger things to come. But his inability to rapidly increase his strike rate in the middle and death overs is an area that does require improvement as IPL 2024 progresses.
