He is the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 316 runs in just five matches at a strike rate of 146.29. He was the first centurion of the season. He has scored more runs than the combined aggregate of the Big 3 overseas imports of the Challengers this season. And yet, Virat Kohli has been criticized for his approach and scoring rate this season in the IPL!

Is the criticism justified or is it motivated? Has Kohli slowed down when nearing personal landmarks in the tournament? How has he approached the spinners in the middle overs? What was the controversy behind his ‘slow’ hundred?

Kohli’s scoring rate – a historical context & his role as opener

Kohli has a strike rate of 146.29 thus far this IPL season. Still early days but if he maintains the tempo, it would be his second-best scoring rate ever in a season only after 2016 where he amassed a record 973 runs at a rate of 152.03.

When analysing Kohli’s strike rate, one must take into account the role he plays for RCB at the top of the order. Kohli is not a dasher like Abhishek Sharma or Sunil Narine and a comparison with them would be unfair. Kohli is not expected to take high risks and only produce the cameos – he is a far better batter than that! A Sachin Tendulkar wasn’t compared with a Shahid Afridi, was he? Similarly, Kohli is expected to score big at a healthy rate ranging between 140 and 150 depending on the situation of the match. He is more in the mould of Shubman Gill, Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul and stands tall when compared to batters in this category.

If we remove the six outliers amongst the 23 openers in IPL 2024 – Sunil Narine, Abhishek Sharma, Mitchell Marsh, Ishan Kishan, Prithvi Shaw and Travis Head – then the other openers (excluding Kohli) have a combined strike rate of 138 – which basically means that Kohli is striking above the norm in the tournament. Moreover, the fact that he is the leading run-getter with the best batting average should also give him more leeway with the scoring rate.

The big elephant in the room – the 67-ball hundred vs the Royals

Let us get the big elephant out of the room or still better let's confront it. Let us analyze Kohli's 67-ball hundred against the Royals in Jaipur. Kohli and Faf du Plessis put together 125 for the opening wicket in 14 overs at a run-rate of almost 9. Kohli was the dominant partner – both in terms of percentage of runs scored and scoring rate. He hammered 72 off 51 deliveries at a strike rate of 141.2 with an out-of-sorts Du Plessis contributing just 44 off 33 deliveries at a rate of 133.33. Kohli accelerated thereafter and smashed 41 off just 21 deliveries at a strike rate of almost 200! Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green and Saurav Chauhan together scored just 15 at a run-a-ball in the last six overs. And they say Kohli was slow?

Percentage of team runs scored vs the best bowling attack in their own den

Yes, his 67-ball hundred is the joint-slowest in the history of the IPL…..BLAH BLAH BLAH. But have we taken into consideration the context of the knock and the quality of the opposition attack?

Kohli kept scoring at a healthy rate even when others around him struggled and failed. He was the lone ranger and scored 61.74% of RCB’s total of 183 – the third-highest percentage of team runs scored for the franchise in an innings in the IPL! Moreover, the Royals with the likes of Trent Boult, Nandre Burger, Trent Boult and R Ashwin, unarguably had the most complete bowling unit in the tournament. In fact, till the 5th of April (before the RCB vs RR clash), the Royals had the best bowling average (23.6) and economy rate (7.8) in the tournament! And they were playing at home!

Moreover, Kohli ended with 113 off 72 deliveries at a strike rate of 156.94 which meant he took more from RR than what they had conceded on an average in the tournament (RR’s economy of 7.8 is equivalent to a strike rate of 130!)

Did Kohli slow down as he neared his hundred?

Kohli has been accused in the past (rightly or wrongly is the theme for another article) of slowing down when approaching a milestone like nearing his hundred. That was certainly not the case on the 6th of April in Jaipur. He raced from 90 off 61 deliveries to 100 off 67 – ie, 10 runs off 6 deliveries which included a six and the risk associated with it!

Kohli’s approach vs spin in the middle-overs

Kohli struggled against spin, especially in the initial part of his innings, between 2020-2023. He had a strike rate of 108.9 against spin in 2020, 100 in 2021, 108.1 in 2022 and 112.8 in 2023. However, acknowledging this shortcoming, he has made a conscious effort to show more intent against the slower bowlers and has a strike rate of 132.6 against spin this season. Kohli is looking to take calculated risks against the spinners which can also be seen from his boundary percentage against them this year. It has gone up to 46% which is his highest against the slower bowlers since 2018.

Another startling statistic which showcases Kohli’s change in mindset is his strike rate against spinners in the middle-overs (7-15) – a period where he has struggled to up the ante since 2018. Kohli’s scoring rate against spin in this phase of play never crossed 120.2 between 2018 and 2023. He has scored at a strike rate of 142.4 against spinners in the middle-overs this season which is his third quickest in a season ever!

Kohli is a classic victim of the lofty standards he has set but even by that benchmark the start he has got this season stands out. It is time to keep aside the petty criticisms and hail the genius.

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