“They’ll Demand 200”: Amid Strike Rate Talk Over Virat Kohli, Babar Azam’s Big Remark

There has been a lot of chatter over Virat Kohli’s strike rate despite the star Indian cricket team batter slamming the first century of IPL 2024. During the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals, Kohli scored an unbeaten 113 off 72 deliveries but it was still not enough as RCB slumped to a six-wicket loss. Experts and fans were quick to point out that Kohli took a slightly slow approach en route to his hundred and that can be one of the reasons behind RCB not posting a total above 200. During the latest episode of a podcast on Zalmi TV, Babar opened up about the importance of strike rate in the modern game and how it can differ according to situations.

“Look, strike rate and building an innings, as well as winning a match, are distinct matters. When you win a match, both aspects are addressed. It’s a gradual process, understanding how to approach the first six overs and the subsequent ones. I am well aware of my cricketing abilities, knowing precisely what adjustments I need to make. The critical factor is the situation; if it permits, I’ll play freely.”

Babar further explained that the approach cannot be similar for any batter and if the situation demands an aggressive innings, he will not hesitate to take that approach. Babar has come under a lot of fire during his career when it comes to his strike rate but he said that expectations will always keep rising.

“Sometimes, it’s perplexing; critics will argue it should be 170 when it’s 150, and if I play at 170, they’ll demand 200. Every player has their unique style, and I refrain from comparisons,” Babar said.

Virat Kohli reckoned that the Jaipur track was two-paced making strokeplay difficult but former India ODI skipper Ajay Jadeja felt that the manner in which the star batter batted, there seemed to be very little demons present in the 22-yard strip.

Kohli scored an unbeaten 113 off 72 balls with 12 fours and four sixes but RCB managed only 183/3 in 20 overs, a total that was surpassed by Rajasthan Royals with five balls to spare, courtesy Jos Buttler’s 58-ball ton. Jadeja, an astute cricket brain, felt that there seemed to be some discrepancy in what Kohli observed and how in general the pitch behaved during the entire duration of the game.

“He (Kohli) started out so well. He hit a couple of boundaries in the first few overs, and you knew you were watching something special tonight. The only surprising thing was him speaking about how the deliveries were not carrying through on this pitch, but the way he batted, we didn’t see any shortcomings in the pitch,” Jadeja, a ‘Jio Cinema’ IPL expert said.

After scoring his eighth IPL hundred, Kohli had said the pitch was not a flat one “The wicket looks quite different from the outside. It feels like it’s flat, but the ball is holding up in the pitch, that’s when you realise the pace changes,” Kohli told the official broadcaster.