IPL 2023: ‘I know how to win games’ – RCB stalwart Virat Kohli shuts critics of his strike rate after stunning century against SRH

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star Virat Kohli had an impressive outing in Match 65 of the Indian Premier League (SRH) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday.

Kohli smashed his sixth century in the cash-rich league in just 62 balls, propelling RCB to an 8-wicket win and strengthening their playoff bid. Kohli’s century and captain Faf du Plessis’ brilliant 71 helped RCB gun down a target of 187 with four balls to spare.

Kohli rightfully earned the Player of the Match for his spectacular innings, and after the game, the Delhi-born cricketer addressed the criticism regarding his strike rate in recent matches. Notably, Kohli had faced scrutiny for slow starts throughout the season, but in this game, the former RCB skipper silenced his critics, slamming 32 runs off 20 balls during the powerplay and reaching the triple-figure score in just 62 deliveries.

When quizzed about his below-average numbers against SRH (569 runs in 20 matches at an average of 31.61) before Thursday’s game, Kohli brushed off such concerns and mentioned that he focuses on trusting his technique and avoids attempting ‘fancy’ shots.

“I was telling the boys – the way I’m looked at as an IPL player as well is like ‘yeah, he’s fine, a few impact knocks’. But it’s my 6th IPL hundred. I don’t give enough credit to myself. I never look at past records (not great numbers against SRH),” Kohli told Deep Dasgupta in the post-match presentation.

The 34-year-old asserted that he acknowledges his ability to win matches and takes pride in his strength to analyse and adapt to different game situations.

“I put myself under so much stress already. I don’t care what anyone says on the outside, because that’s their opinion. It’s like… when you are in that situation yourself, you know how to win games of cricket and I’ve done that for a long period of time. It’s not like I don’t win games for my team. It’s playing the situation (that) I take pride in,” added Kohli.

The former India captain said he does not go for extravagant or risky shots that could lead to losing his wicket and emphasise the importance of staying true to their technique, particularly because Test cricket is coming.

“I’ve never been a guy who plays so many fancy shots and throws my wicket away. It’s Test cricket (coming up) after the IPL, so I have to stay true to my technique. When I can make impact in an important game, it gives me confidence, and gives the team confidence,” Kohli further added.

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May 19, 2023 at 01:36PM