In this year’s Indian Premier League, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli is often seen to bat slow during the power play overs despite scoring 357 runs in the tournament so far. Gautam Gambhir told on ESPNCricinfo that, “The inclusion of Ab de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell has given him the chance to play the role of an anchor alongside both of them”.
The former Kolkata Knight Rider’s opening batsman and captain Gautam Gambhir said that depending on the playing conditions, Virat’s innings would determine the pace of the match. Despite dropping as T20 captain for the RCB after this year, his form will continue to skyrocket with Ab and Maxwell with him.
Gautam Gambhir in an exclusive interview with ESPNCricinfo also said, “That’s probably why he prefers to open the batting, get momentum in the first six overs and then continue batting while someone else from the other end can accelerate. That is his natural game, but if he goes out of that, it will be difficult for him to score a lot of runs.”
Virat Kohli’s strike rate in the Indian Premier League is one of the best with over 145 in the powerplay this season. In the middle overs, his strike rate drops to 90 as he struggles with the due coming in the picture. The two-time IPL winner with KKR classifies Virat Kohli as the best T20 batsman in the world. The inclusion of Ab and Maxwell gives him more freedom to bat more and make the team win. He also compared him and Glenn Maxwell as their strike rates have a huge difference despite their performance.
