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IPL 2024: Mohammed Shami backs Virat Kohli as RCB continue losing streak

The 35-year-old is the tournament’s top scorer with 316 runs

By Web Desk

April 07, 2024

Mohammed Shami (L) has supported Virat Kohli (R) after RCB lost their fourth match in IPL 2024. — BCCI

Indian pacer Mohammed Shami backed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star batter Virat Kohli after the team suffered their third successive, and fourth overall, loss in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Saturday.

Shami slammed RCB batters for not stepping up to the occasion and delivering for their side as apart from Kohli, their skipper Faf du Plessis is the only player to have scored more than 100 runs in IPL so far, proving the state of their batting lineup.

Kohli is the tournament’s top-scorer with 316 runs in five innings as he has notched up two fifties and a century so far. Despite the 35-year-old’s continuous efforts, things have not gone RCB’s way as they have lost four out of five matches this year so far.

Talking to Cricbuzz, Shami backed Kohli saying that regardless of the team, he has always performed and it’s time other RCB batters step up and provide him with the much-needed support.

"Kohli has always performed, whether for the Indian team or RCB. But how can RCB put the entire burden on Kohli's shoulders? The rest of the batters need to step up," Shami said.

During the match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), Kohli became just the first player to complete 7,500 runs in his 242nd IPL innings, which is the most by any batter in the tournament’s history. The second on the list is another Indian, Shikhar Dhawan, who has 6755 runs in 221 matches.

However, as he top-scored for the losing side, he did make an unwanted record. Kohli completed his century on 67 balls, which was the joint-slowest alongside former RCB batter Manish Pandey who scored a ton in as many balls against Deccan Chargers in 2009.