Virat Kohli Under Fire Over "Very Slow" Performance For RCB Despite Team's Win
Virat Kohli scored a 38-ball 50 against the Mumbai Indians. In the IPL 2026 season, he has scored 179 runs at an average of nearly 60 and a strike rate of about 163.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) icon Virat Kohli has scored 179 runs at an average of nearly 60 and a strike rate of about 163, yet some people aren't happy with his performances. Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra, who also played for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL before retiring from the game, has labelled Kohli's knock against the Mumbai Indians (MI) as "very slow". On the day when RCB put a gigantic total of 240 runs on the board, Kohli was dismissed for a 38-ball 50.
Though even RCB skipper Rajat Patidar lauded Kohli and his opening partner Phil Salt for the start they gave to the team against MI, Chopra isn't impressed.
"Virat Kohli actually scored very slow runs. If you look at it in the context of the match, you feel it doesn't matter as you won, but if you see it from the cricketing lens, it was a very slow knock. This kind of knock is unbecoming of this contest, and neither is it becoming of Virat," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
"He was trying, but it just did not come off. In fact, he was probably so distracted that he wasted two reviews on wide balls. That just told me something about his mindset. He was injured as well.
For Chopra, the nature of the knock Salt produced at the top, scoring 78 runs off just 36 balls, is what T20 cricket, especially in the IPL, demands these days.
"We saw a very good assault from Phil Salt. I was only saying whether Jacob Bethell could be played. He said, 'Quiet sir, I am there.' Phil Salt's batting was top-class because a good start was necessary. It was an opening partnership of more than 100 runs. When Phil Salt starts hitting, he doesn't stop," Chopra said.
Chopra also admitted being overawed by the performance Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar showed against Mumbai. He hammered MI bowlers all across the park, scoring 53 runs from just 20 balls. The performance, for the former India star, is enough to warrant a return to the national team.
"How well Rajat Patidar is batting. He hit 14 sixes in the entire last year, which is excellent as he made the team win. However, he has already hit 18 sixes now. He has hit 10 sixes in the first 10 balls he has faced. Only four innings have happened, and he has hit 10 sixes in just the first 10 balls. That acceleration is monstrous," he said.
"Who starts like that? This guy does that. There was a time when he used to hit when people bowled spin to him. Now he hits even if fast bowlers are bowled. They even bowled spin to him today (Sunday). I asked, why are you doing that? A lamb to the slaughterhouse. He hit three sixes against Mayank Markande. Rajat Patidar is captaining well and batting very well. At some stage, he will make it back to the Indian team," Chopra observed.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Virat Kohli