Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer expressed his frustration on chatter around star India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli's strike rate and approach in T20I cricket, saying that he has produced match-winning contributions for India in ICC T20 World Cups time and again.
Kohli’s strike rate and approach in the shortest format in the latest tournament has led to some debate, now that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is finally here and serves as a perfect tournament for the 35-year-old to prepare for ICC T20 WC, starting in West Indies/USA from June 1 onwards.
India will be starting their campaign against Ireland on June 5.
Kohli’s knock of 21 runs in 20 balls, with just a six in the IPL opener between RCB and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) added fuel to the conversations.
Taking to the X (formerly Twitter), Wasim said, "Tired of all the chatter about 'SR' and 'approach' of someone who's a modern great, and has done it time and time again, even in T20 WCs. #ViratKohli #IPL2024 #RCB."
In a video of ESPNCricinfo attached with his tweet, Jaffer was saying, "He only faced six balls in the powerplay (against the Chennai Super Kings).
“Generally, he goes hard in the powerplay and slows down when the spin is on. He will play the way he did last season. He had a strike rate of 140 in last season (of IPL). In his T20I career, he averages over 50 and has a strike rate of over 140.
“I do not know why we talk so much about someone who is a modern great and has done it time and again for India."
Kohli is the highest run-getter in T20I cricket. In 117 matches, he has scored 4,037 runs at an average of 51.75 and a strike rate of over 138, with a century and 37 fifties in 109 innings. His best score is 122n.o.
Also, Kohli is the most decorated batter in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup and is its leading run-scorer. In 27 T20 World Cup matches, Kohli has made 1,141 runs at an average of 81.50 and a strike rate of 131.30, with 14 half-centuries in 25 innings. His best score is 89n.o.
