Wasim Akram defends Virat Kohli after Sunil Gavaskar's criticism on RCB star's strike-rate rant

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has staunchly defended RCB's ex-skipper Virat Kohli amidst the ongoing scrutiny over the star batter's strike rate in the IPL 2024.

The controversy intensified following criticism from batting legend Sunil Gavaskar, who questioned Kohli's remarks aimed at his critics for talking about his strike rate.

Akram perceives the criticism surrounding Kohli's strike rate as unwarranted, asserting that it stems more from the under-performance of the RCB side than from Kohli's batting approach.

He contends that if a batter scores a century with a strike rate nearing 150, it should be deemed acceptable. Furthermore, he opines that such criticism would be non-existent if the team were consistently winning matches.

“What criticism is he getting? That his team is losing. If the guy is scoring 100 at 150 strike rate, isn't it fine? If the team had won, there wouldn't have been criticism. Kohli was under pressure when he was captain, and he is under pressure even now. He is scoring, but one player cannot win the match. Criticising him unnecessarily... it's not fair," Akram told Sportskeeda.

"In the long run, Kohli has a lot of cricket left, RCB will have to think why their performances were so inconsistent even after 16 years. Their batting is still fine, but their bowlers are weak,” he added.

"If you look at this IPL, it feels like it's over. The way teams are scoring 270s, it looks like it. People are calling an anchor slow even when the strike rate is 150. When you look at the pitches and the performances, it looks like it. You got to hit from the first ball, you can't stop,” he added.

Kohli has proven to be the most reliable batter for the RCB and currently holds the coveted Orange Cap, having amassed 542 runs in 11 games with a strike rate of 148.08.