Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has raised questions Virat Kohliinnings against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday, April 12. The right-handed batsman scored 50 runs off 38 balls in an innings where Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) scored 240 runs in their 20 overs.
Chopra said this kind of innings, where an opening batsman scores runs at a strike-rate of 131.58, is not synonymous with the modern T20 game, nor is it with Kohli as a player.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel, “Virat Kohli scored really very slowly. If you look at it in the context of the match, you think it doesn't matter that you won, but if you look at it from a cricketing perspective, it was a very slow innings. That kind of innings is unbecoming of this competition and neither does it suit Virat.”
Undoubtedly there was something wrong with Kohli in that match. The former RCB opener did not field in the second innings due to a minor injury. ChopraTherefore, he gets the benefit of doubt in a situation which could have hindered his mindset.
He said, “He was trying, but it wasn't happening. In fact, he was probably so distracted that he wasted two reviews on wide balls. That told me something about his mentality. He was also injured. Maybe that's a bit of an issue because it was the first time I had not seen him come on to the field. So he was injured and the knock was also slow.”
The innings against MI in this season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was a bit strange for Kohli. The RCB star has scored 179 runs in four innings so far in the tournament at an average of 60 and a strike rate of 162.72.
Despite his performance against the five-time champions, Kohli remains a vital member of RCB, and his opening partnership with Phil Salt was the backbone behind their win at the Wankhede Stadium. The pair added 120 runs on the board for the first wicket, which was the second highest opening partnership for the Royal Challengers against MI.
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