"Strike rates are very overrated"- Gautam Gambhir defends Virat Kohli for slow batting in middle overs

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has defended Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli amid criticism over his slow batting during middle overs and against the spinners despite getting off to a good start in the powerplay.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Gautam Gambhir labeled strike rates 'overrated'. He feels it's wrong to expect Virat Kohli, who scores heaps of runs with his stability and consistency, to play with Glenn Maxwell's temperament and vice-versa. Gambhir added that it's a combination of their skills that makes RCB successful.

He remarked:

"Strike-rates are very overrated. You can expect Kohli to have a 600-run season but you can't expect that from Maxwell, and you can never have Maxwell batting at a [strike rate of] 120-125 and expect Kohli to be batting on 160. So both of them are different and it's a combination of everyone that makes a successful side."

Analyzing the subject further, Gautam Gambhir said Virat Kohli has taken up the role of someone who provides momentum in the powerplay and then trusts his middle order to do the same.

The former cricketer called Kohli a "world class" player who plows his own furrow and contributes to the team with his "natural game". He added:

"(It) depends on the wicket and I believe the reason is Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers. He feels that those two guys can accelerate and he can play an anchor role in the second half, which he has done really well. 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 because he doesn't have the same power or skill as AB de Villiers or, for that matter, Glenn Maxwell. But look, you need all kinds of players in your XI and Virat Kohli is world class, no doubt about that."

Virat Kohli currently sits on 357 runs in IPL 2021 with an average and strike rate of 32.45 and 121.43 respectively. His strike-rate in powerplay this season has been around 145 which plummets to just over 90 in the middle-overs.

Pundits such as Sanjay Manrjekar have speculated the difference is to be rooted in the RCB skipper's lack of power-hitting confidence against spinners.

Virat Kohli's RCB dominating SRH in Abu Dhabi

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli's team are playing against Kane Williamson-led SunRisers Hyderabad in the UAE. Kohli won the toss and opted to field first, paving the way for his bowlers' outright domination.

At the 17th over mark, SRH is at 120/5, with Jason Holder batting alongside Wriddhiman Saha.

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It will be interesting to see the RCB batters' approach, considering this match's importance in the team's quest for a top-two finish in the points table.