What’s the story?
Legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar has slammed Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli for his poor performance in the ongoing Indian Premier League season. While offering a piece of advice for the 28-year old, the veteran took umbrage at the star right-hander’s shot selection in the last few games.
During a post-match analysis show for IPL’s official broadcaster, Gavaskar asserted, “First thing he (Kohli) should be doing is look himself in the mirror. The shot he played (against Kings XI Punjab) wasn’t exactly a great shot. The shot he played at Eden Gardens (against Kolkata Knight Riders) wasn’t a great shot. He has got to say to himself that he is the captain. He has got to stay there. He is not in form so he should work himself with proper cricketing shots then widen the scope of shots.”
On RCB’s batting woes, he felt, “Your main batsmen went for the glamour shots instead of looking to play proper cricketing shots. Get the boundary. Between a four and a six, the difference is two runs. Because you hit the ball in the air (for six), the risk percentage goes up to a 100.”
The Background
From 13 matches in this season, RCB have managed to notch up only 2 victories and hence are at the bottom of the points table. The major reason behind their struggles is the misfiring batting line-up which has woefully underperformed despite boasting of big names such as Kohli, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle.
The heart of the matter
Upon being a shadow of his usual self, Kohli has scored just 250 runs from 9 matches at an average of 27.77 and strike-rate of 120.77 including 3 fifty-plus scores in the season thus far. His lacklustre form has played a massive role in RCB limping to their worst sequence of defeats (six on the trot).
During the game against Kings XI at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Kohli failed to account for Sandeep Sharma's extravagant swing and danced down the track. The inexplicable attempt at a wild slog ended with him getting castled.
Another instance of his indecisive shot selection, which Gavaskar alluded to, came against KKR. Playing away from his body, he edged one to slip early in the innings.
What’s next?
Royal Challengers have a brief break before bringing their disappointing season to a conclusion. Their last group game will be against Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla on the 14th.
Author’s Take
Even though Gavaskar cannot draw from experience when it specifically comes to T20 cricket, his assessment on Kohli’s shot selection is spot on. After all, the basics remain the same for any top-order batsman irrespective of the format of the game.
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