Social media trolled Team India skipper Rohit Sharma appeared to be mocking Virat Kohli during a press conference in Mumbai following the announcement of the squad for the T20 World Cup. In the media briefing, where the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar was also present, a reporter posed a question to the duo about Virat Kohli’s strike rate, to which Rohit Sharma reacted with a smile.
Rohit Sharma’s gesture was not appreciated on social media, with Virat Kohli’s supporters stating that the 37-year-old these shenanigans from his PR team, which has been criticizing the Delhi-born cricketer with alarming regularity.
A few accorded him with nicknames of “Nofit” and “Roshit” to highlight that Rohit Sharma shouldn’t have behaved in such a manner.
Rohit Sharma’s reaction to Virat Kohli’s strike rate is completely different from Ajit Agarkar’s.
Days after Virat Kohli launched a full-blown rant against critics of his strike rate in shorter formats of cricket, Ajit Agarkar joined him in slamming his haters for questioning the pace of his knocks in T20s.
“I don’t think we have been discussing it. No look, he has been in great form fortunately in the IPL. No concerns there at all. With regards to what’s going in the IPL you’re still going to a World Cup. It’s still international cricket, there’s still that gap there. You’ve got to prepare knowing that there’s that gap there,” Ajit Agarkar said in a press conference in Mumbai on Thursday.
“That’s where experience does matter. If the tournament turns out to be like the IPL is, where 220 is normal, we still have enough power. We can match that. There is no real point in over-thinking. You have to look at the positives happening in the IPL — form of the new guys, the performances. But at the end of the day, when you turn up in the World Cup, the pressure will be different,” he added.
Ajit Agarkar’s remarks came in the wake of speculations over Virat Kohli’s spot in Team India for the T20 World Cup with the Delhi-born cricketer expected to open the innings with skipper Rohit Sharma in the biannual competition.
Previous reports suggested that Virat Kohli could be dropped from the national side as he no longer fit into the scheme of things in the modern T20 game where going ballistic from ball one was the norm.
While the modern T20 game was all about brute power, Virat Kohli was still playing an anchor’s role in the side. Moreover, his ability to hit the spinners over the top during the middle overs was being questioned by many former cricketers.
For example, during the current edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Virat Kohli has shown his intent to take on the spinners. Though he has had some success against them, he hasn’t been quite consistent against the slow bowlers.
Virat Kohli, whose career strike rate in the IPL stands at 131.02, has been facing flak for his inability to make runs at a good pace after the powerplay overs.
Previously, the 35-year-old batter ripped into criticism surrounding his strike rate following his unbeaten knock of 70 off 44 deliveries against the Gujarat Titans.
In the interview, Virat Kohli was asked to share his thoughts on becoming the first batter in the 17th edition of the IPL to complete 500 runs and how he felt about being the most consistent player in the elite T20 competition.
In reply, the Delhi-born cricketer said that milestones weren’t his priority but could matter to his critics who keep doubting his T20 game.
“Not really, I think all the people who talk about strike rates and me not playing spin well are the ones who loves talking about these stuff [numbers]. But for me, it’s just about winning games for the team and there’s a reason why you do it for 15 years because you have done it day in and day out,” Virat Kohli told broadcasters after RCB’s 9-wicket triumph over Gujarat Titans.
“You have won the games for your team and I am not quite sure if you have not been in that situation yourself and to sit and speak about the game from the box, I don’t really think it’s the same thing so for me, it’s just about doing my job. People can talk about their own ideas and assumptions of the game but those who have done it day in and day out they know what’s happening and it’s kind of muscle memory for me now,” he elaborated.
Last month, even former India captain Sunil Gavaskar tore into Virat Kohli following his subdued knock of 51 off 43 deliveries against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).
It is worth noting that Virat Kohli wrapped up his knock with a strike rate of 118.6, considered poor as per IPL standards.
Virat Kohli’s alarming dip in strike rate angered Sunil Gavaskar who was in the commentary box at the time of the 35-year-old batter’s innings.
The 1983 World Cup winner suggested that the talismanic batter should have been more aggressive in his batting approach as RCB had some good players to follow him in the batting order.
“It’s just been singles, singles and singles from Kohli. There is [Dinesh] Karthik to come; there is [Mahipal] Lomror to come. You’ve got to try and take a few risks now,” Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
“In the middle, he just seemed to have lost touch. I am not sure of the exact numbers, but I think from 31-32 to the time he got out, he did not hit a boundary. So at the end of the day, when he got out when you are facing the strike in the first ball of the innings and you get out in the 14th or the 15th over, you have got strike rate of 118, that’s not what your team expects from you,” he concluded.
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