Despite being the Orange Cap holder and the first centurion of IPL 2024, Virat Kohli has been subject to criticism as his sluggish unbeaten knock of 113 has sparked the strike-rate debate yet again. Social media has shown no mercy to the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain after his effort was trumped by a 58-ball 100 from Jos Buttler in the clash against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Amid the talk, former Australia captain Michael Clarke gave his two cents as he jumped to Kohli's defence.

Put to bat first, openers Faf du Plessis and Kohli stitched a stunning 125-run stand, but the latter found himself all alone in his act after the dismissal of the former. Amid a lack of support from the other end, Kohli marshalled on, lacing 12 boundaries and four sixes in his 72-ball 113. En route, he reached the century mark, his eighth in IPL career and third in last seven matches, in 67 balls - the joint-slowest in the league's history.

With Kohli's effort going in vain, after Buttler's fiery ton and Sanju Samson's blazing fifty, the former India captain was criticised for his strike rate. However, Clarke refrained from blaming Kohli for the loss and rather lashed out at the lack of support for the star batter from the rest of the line-up.

“I wouldn't point my fingers at Virat Kohli. He was brilliant and I think he played the exact role he needed to play because the batters around him are not scoring enough runs, not playing with enough confidence or enough freedom,” Clarke told Star Sports.

The former Australia batter rather pointed fingers at captain Du Plessis' strategy to send Cameron Green ahead of in-form Dinesh Karthik, who has been at his 2022 best down the order for RCB.

“I think RCB left 15 runs on the ground. A few of their decisions were hard to understand. You have got Karthik as a finisher; I don’t know why he did not come in probably after Maxwell. He certainly should have come in before Green. That was an interesting decision,” Clarke added.

The result in Jaipur on Saturday saw RCB languish to the bottom of the points table with just a solitary win from last five matches, which includes a hat-trick of defeats.

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