Former Indian batter Ajay Jadeja slammed Virat Kohli critics after Royal Challengers Bengaluru claimed a six-wicket win against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Sunday. In the run-chase of 163, Kohli scored 51 runs off 47 balls to help his team get close to the target.
Kohli has been in tremendous form in the ongoing IPL 2025 as he has scored 443 runs in 10 matches at an average of 63.29 and a strike rate of 138.87. The veteran batter has received some criticism from fans regarding his strike rate in the tournament but Jadeja isn’t impressed with it.
Jadeja said on Star Sports, “You know, nobody asks you and me questions on the street. But everybody asks questions to the US President or the Prime Minister, because they are the people who make decisions – they are the benchmarks. So, I don’t know how he looks at it (Virat Kohli). Till the last day, I remember Sachin Tendulkar and even the icons of the game were asked similar questions.”
The former Indian batter said there are always questions in a batter’s mind even though he is the best in the business.
“If you are a sportsman, in your mind also you get questions every day. We are looking at his record today, saying, okay, so many runs – but there’s always a question. Whether it was him or Viv Richards in the past, or whoever, the top players are used to it. I think the players who are dealing with it are probably equipped and capable of handling it.”
Jadeja added that Virat Kohli is never going to have a strike rate like KKR hard-hitter Andre Russell.
“He certainly does not have that strike rate, he is never going to have the strike rate of someone like Russell – and if he tried to, he would not have the consistency he has. If he (a critic) thinks Kohli can suddenly play like Andre Russell, then the person is asking for the sake of asking,” said Jadeja.
Jadeja lauded Virat Kohli’s consistency during his glittering career of 18 years.
“If you really look at the 18-year career of the man, then every sportsman, even the greatest, has their own ceiling, their own style, their own strengths. His strength is consistency. His strength is winning games. His strength is understanding the game and solving that same jigsaw puzzle in his own way.”
RCB will next take on Lucknow Super Giants at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on 9th May.
