Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, vehemently criticized the critics who have been unfairly targeting the former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain over his strike rate during their recent IPL 2024 match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur.
Expressing his frustration at the critics, Rajkumar Sharma dismissed the criticism surrounding Kohli’s strike rate as “nonsense.” He stressed that the RCB star frequently faces unwarranted scrutiny solely because of his popularity. According to Sharma, some individuals seek attention by unfairly discussing Kohli in a negative light.
Rajkumar Sharma Blasts Virat Kohli’s Critics For Seeking “Limelight” With Strike Rate Controversy
Rajkumar Sharma was quoted as saying by the media, “Those who say Virat Kohli scored a slow century, first check the match situation, conditions, and then say. They know if they talk about Kohli then news will be sold, they will come into the limelight, and they will get recognized.”
Despite Kohli’s remarkable unbeaten innings of 113 runs off 72 deliveries, maintaining a strike rate of 156.94, to bolster RCB’s total to 183 against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), questions arose about his slow innings after RR chased down the target in the last over, securing a six-wicket victory.
This was RCB’s fourth loss in the ongoing IPL 2024, prompting criticism of Kohli’s strike rate despite his crucial contribution to the team’s total.
Rajkumar Sharma dismissed the criticism against Kohli’s strike rate as a concerted effort by a lobby seeking attention and limelight. He highlighted Kohli’s position as the leading run-scorer in the ongoing IPL 2024, with an impressive tally of 316 runs in just 5 innings, to underscore the unjust nature of the criticism.
In an interview on India News, Virat Kohli’s childhood coach said: “A few people who are talking this nonsense, I think they don’t know the context of the match, what was the situation of the match and how the team was struggling.”
He further added: “ They only speak to get into the news; simply because whenever you speak about any ordinary player, it doesn’t get you placed in the news headlines but if you speak about a player like Virat Kohli, it gets you in the headlines of the newspapers.”
He concluded: “ See, it is a lobby that is running an agenda; they are just driving an agenda, and we as the fans or true analysts don’t give a damn about their agenda. See, the King will always be king. The person who knows even the ‘C’ of cricket will never talk any nonsense like this.”
Virat Kohli will be next seen, showcasing his skills on April 11 when his side Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will face the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
