Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) legend AB de Villiers defended his former teammate Virat Kohli against ongoing criticism of his strike rate in the IPL 2025 season. De Villiers's response came after Kohli's impressive 62-run performance against Chennai Super Kings, which helped RCB's narrow two-run victory.
Kohli scored 62 runs from just 33 balls, including five boundaries and as many sixes against Chennai Super Kings with a strike rate of 187.88 in the recent match. RCB became the first team to secure 16 points in IPL 2025. The Bengaluru team will be aiming to secure a top-two finish in the league.
In the past, Virat Kohli faced harsh criticism regarding his strike rate, particularly from cricket legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag. During IPL 2024, Kohli was heavily scrutinized for his T20 batting, especially after scoring a joint-slowest IPL century during a match against the Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.
Sanjay Manjrekar, a former Indian cricketer and current commentator, took indirect shots at Kohli's strike rate during the IPL 2025 season. In a recent post on X (formerly known as Twitter), he shared his personal list of the best batters in the season, but notably left Kohli out, citing concerns over his strike rate.
Never Fear When Virat Kohli Is Near - AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers took to Instagram to call out journalists for criticizing Virat Kohli's strike rate. He defended his former teammate, stating that when Kohli is at the crease, there's no need to fear.
"Virat is always there. He is Mr. Safety for RCB. When he is there, you don't have to fear. Never fear when Virat is near. That is the story. Nothing has ever changed, and what I want to tell all of you media people, I haven't forgotten. I have the brain of an elephant. To all my journalist friends out there, I love you guys. But remember when you said Virat bats too slow, right? Virat is there batting at almost a 200 strike rate last night. Eat that," he said.
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Virat Kohli Surpasses 500 Runs for Record Eighth Time in IPL
Virat Kohli has been in exceptional form during IPL 2025. He surpassed 500 runs for the eighth time in his career. The batter has scored 505 runs in 11 innings at an average of 63.13, with a strike rate of 143.47. Kohli has also scored seven half-centuries this season, his third-best tally after 11 in 2016.
Kohli has helped RCB stand out this season, with the team securing eight wins out of 11 matches. Kohli is at the top of the Orange Cap race, just one run ahead of Gujarat Titans (GT) batter Sai Sudharsan. The Bengaluru-based team will be hoping for Virat to continue his form in the upcoming matches.
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