The former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has said that the issue with Virat Kohli’s performance is because the whole debate regarding his strike rate somehow got into his mind. Kohli addressed criticisms about the T20 strike rate by hitting with more energy at the time of IPL 2024. He scored 741 runs, with a rate of nearly 155, which was a far cry from Kohli’s job IPL strike rate, which was 132.
These numbers are the reason why the Indian team’s management considered Kohli as a desirable choice to play as an opener for India in the T20 World Cup, but the performances have been a disappointment.
The same brisk batsman style hasn’t worked until now on the tough New York pitches in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Kohli has only scored five runs in his two games with Ireland and Pakistan, with a strike rate of 62.5.
“The problem with Virat Kohli is that there has been many talk about his strike rate over the last two years, and he completely changed that during this IPL season. His strike rate had reached 150, although others had almost 200, but that is a different topic. He probably must have come to the T20 World Cup with that same mindset, but given the pitches, the old Virat Kohli would have been much better,” Manjrekar stated while talking on ESPNCricinfo.
“So, I feel someone should tell him to bring back that earlier version of himself and then change again when the pitches become flat,” Manjrekar said.
Despite several low scores, Kohli has impressive numbers at T20 World Cups. He is averaging more than 70 at a strike rate of 130.67.
Following India’s thrilling six-run win against Pakistan, Manjrekar hailed the ace India pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliant performance and also took a swipe at Kohli. Bumrah had a fantastic performance, scoring 3-14 in just four innings to benefit India’s fight back a subpar 119 against their rivals.
“While Indian media obsesses over Virat & Co, Jasprit Bumrah quietly wins games for India single-handedly,” Manjrekar had tweeted.