Virat Kohli should not be verbally sledged said his former RCB teammate AB de Villiers. This was in response to legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar chastising Kohli for his slow strike rate against spin.
The modern-era great has long been attacked for his intent in T20s, particularly against spinners and in the middle overs, and this trend has continued this season, with batting icon Sunil Gavaskar criticizing his attitude to the sport.
Kohli, on the other hand, did more than simply let his bat do the talking with some stunning runs and an improved approach against spinners that featured the use of the slog sweep; he also engaged in some back-and-forth with his critics.
“Yeah, I enjoyed that” – AB de Villiers on Virat Kohli hitting back at critics over his strike rate issue
Ab de Villiers stated that he “enjoyed” Kohli “making a statement” and slammed Gavaskar and other critics for attacking a “hero and role model of the country.”
AB de Villiers, who has not only shared the dressing room with Kohli in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but has also played numerous international matches against him, understands the implications of poking the bear.
“Yeah, I enjoyed that. I thought it was… really bad for someone like that for a hero and a role model of the country to get so much criticism around that. But the way I know him, I just knew and that’s exactly what I mentioned on my show. I said, guys, you have no idea what happens to this guy when he catches criticism.
“The many years I’ve played against him, I used to tell the players in the team room, you do not say one word to Virat on the pitch because he will come out and he will score a big 100 if you try and chirp him,” De Villiers, an IPL expert on JioCinema said.
Kohli had a fantastic 2024 IPL season, scoring 741 runs in 15 games at a strike rate of 154.69, but RCB, who had a six-match winning streak to reach the final, lost in the Eliminator to Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday in Ahmedabad.