Former England skipper Michael Vaughan once again triggered the strike rate concern of Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli after his half-century against two-time championship Kolkata Knight Riders. The RCB stand-in skipper scored 54 runs off 37 balls in the chase of 201 runs.
Virat Kohli was widely criticized for his strike rate in the middle overs as he was unable to accelerate against the spinners’ post-power play against Kolkata Knight Riders. The former Indian skipper strikes at a modest strike rate of around 110 against spin bowlers.
Since the start of IPL 2023, the Strike rate and the intent to score run in the middle over have been a hot topic of discussion in the league. Speaking on Cricbuzz, the former England captain pointed out Kohli’s strike rate in the league and warned that many teams will implement spin web over RCB batter in the forthcoming games.
“A lot of teams are going to bowl spin against Virat because of his strike rate against them. I think he has a 107-strike rate against Spin. So most teams are going to bowl spin against Virat Kohli and they are going to put three fielders at the mid-wicket,” Michael Vaughan said in Cricbuzz after the match.
Michael Vaughan questioned about Virat Kohli’s approach to play post-powerplay, as he was not thinking about the big shots in the middle over and said that he can hit boundaries as he got the power game to his skills.
“I think his mindset after the powerplay is almost to be there at the 18th (over). I don’t think he is thinking about boundaries enough. I think he can (hit boundaries) because he is got the game, the power, and the timing to be able to go and hit the six,” he said.
Earlier in the match against LSG, former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull slammed Virat Kohli for his slow knock as he took 10 balls to move from 42 to 50 runs with 10 wickets in his hands during their match with Lucknow Super Giants.
It’s Like A Team Take A Couple Of More Risks – Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan believes it is high time that Royal Challengers Bangalore’s middle order performs in the league as they cannot rely only on the cameos from that middle order. RCB middle order batters Dinesh Karthik, Shabaz Ahmed, and Suyash Prabudessai could not find their form in the league putting their team in a struggling position in the finishing stage of the innings.
“They can’t rely on the cameos from that middle-order. He (Virat Kohli) is going to continue with the mentor of the first six. It’s like a team take a couple of more risks,” Michael Vaughan added.
Royal Challengers Bangalore were poor in the field and lost wickets in the packs to suffer their 4 loss in the league stage. Faf du Plessis-led side will be on the road for the next five games starting from Lucknow Super Giants on May 1 in Ekana Stadium.