There has been a lot of chatter over Virat Kohli's strike rate despite the star batter slamming the first century of IPL 2024. Kohli looked in sublime form as he slammed 113 off 72 deliveries but it was not enough as Royal Challengers Bengaluru were beaten by Rajasthan Royals. While Kohli was the top scorer for the side, several fans and experts were of the opinion that he should have taken a more aggressive approach and his slow batting was one of the reason behind the loss. However, Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma was completely taken aback by the criticism.
In a recent interaction, Sharma blasted the critics for questioning Kohli's strike rate and pointed out that any batter's approach should change depending on the situation.
"Jo log yeh kahe rehe hai ki ye slow century hai, unhe realise karna chaiye ki match ki situation thi. Sirf news banane ke liye kyunki aur kise ke naam se news nahi banti toh Virat Kohli ke baare mein kuch bol dega toh news banegi. Kya unka strike-rate hai knockouts jo tournament hui hai, India ke T20 World Cup mein, kitne percentage unka runs. Iss tarah ki jo baate karte hai mujhe doubt hai unki cricket knowledge ki. Doosri side se wicket gir rahe hai still vo maintain kar rahe hai 130-135 ki strike rate. Jinko Cricket ka C pata hoga vo iss tarah ki baate nahi karega. Ye log vohi log hai jinhe charcha mein rehna hai. Jab tak vo bolege nahi aur bolege kis ke liye. Jab Tak Virat Kohli ke liye bolege. Aur kisi ke liye bolege toh news nahi banegi. (Those People who are saying this is a slow century should realise what the situation is. Just to make news and no one else makes news, they say something about Virat Kohli's strike-rate. Look at his strik-rate in T20 World Cup, how many percent of runs he has. People who say things like this, I doubt their cricket knowledge. Wickets are falling from the other end and he is still batting at 130-135. Anyone who knows the 'C' of cricket will not talk like this. These people just want to remain in limelight and until they talk about Virat Kohli, that will not happen,)" said Rajkumar Sharma according to Navbharat Times.
Kohli has been the top batter for his side till now in IPL 2024 and he is also currently the highest run-getter in this year's competition with more than 300 runs in just 5 matches.