Simon Doull Creates Controversy, Accuses Virat Kohli Of 'Playing For Milestones'
Virat Kohli slammed a 44-ball 61 last night [Source: AP]
T20 cricket is all about sixes, boundaries, and strike rate, and last evening's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) proved just that. Nicholas Pooran's storm witnessed the LSG win from a near-match-losing position, slamming 62 off 19 while chasing 213 to win.
RCB had fifties from Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Faf du Plessis, which enabled them to reach 212. However, former New Zealand bowler Simon Doull criticised Kohli for his knock. The former RCB captain scored 61 off 44, including four sixes and four fours.
Doull, known to give his honest opinion, slammed Kohli for slowing down when nearing his fifty, where the former Indian captain took seven balls to score eight runs after motoring in the powerplay.
Here's what Doull said
"Virat Kohli started off like a train. He was hammering shots. But from 42 to 50 he took 10 balls. He's concerned about his personal milestone. I don’t think there’s room for that in this game anymore. You’ve just got to keep going especially with wickets in hand at that stage. You’ve got to keep going."
This is not the first time that Doull has slammed a world-class batter for slow strike rate.
Earlier, the 53-year-old called out Babar Azam during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 for putting his century ahead of the team's score while playing for Peshawar Zalmi in their match against Quetta Gladiators.
Kohli, so far in IPL 2023, has amassed 164 runs in three matches, at a strike rate of 147.74, with du Plessis leading the scoring charts with 175. Meanwhile, RCB, who lost to LSG in the game last night, will take on DC on April 15.
 "Vishal Mehra")
