Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma gave a stern response to critics after the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain’s match-winning knock against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
The right-hander looked in good touch as he contributed a quickfire 77 at the top pf the order for Royal Challengers Bengaluru at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, hitting 11 fours and two massive sixes against a world-class Punjab Kings bowling line-up that included South Africa quick Kagiso Rabada.
His knock comes after reports suggested that Kohli might not be selected in the Team India squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean.
“His bat does the talking,” Kohli’s childhood coach said in an Instagram post after his match-winning knock.
Instagram post of Virat Kohli's childhood coach. š„ pic.twitter.com/gd2lRl8NUd
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 25, 2024
Earlier, Kohli became the first Indian batter to score 12,000 runs in T20s. He is currently the sixth-highest run scorer in the T20s and holds an average of 41.21 which is the best among the top 10 leading run scorers in the shortest format of the game. The former India captain has a decent strike rate of 133.42 and the highest score of an unbeaten 122.
In the IPL 2024, he is making his first appearance on the cricket field since the T20 series against Afghanistan in January 2024. He missed out on the Test series against England due to the birth of his second child. The IPL will be crucial for the chase master in the preparation for the T20 World Cup 2024.
The 35-year-old is the leading run scorer in the IPL. He is also the only batter in the lucrative tournament to accumulate more than 7000 runs. He has recorded seven centuries and 51 half-centuries in the format at an average of 37.24 and with the highest score of 113 runs.