RCB vs GT: Virat Kohli name dropped as Travis Head's slow 50 takes the centre stage for Mohammad Kaif

Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif stressed that the strike-rate story must be the same for every batter after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Travis Head failed to play an innings that suited his stature against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 50th IPL 2024 match on May 2.

Kaif said that India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli would have faced plenty of criticism had he played like Head against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Travis Head had a challenging outing against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), as the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener was struggling to find his beat mode and eventually opted to play an anchoring role.

Nitish Kumar Reddy took the charge against the bowlers. Head scored 58 runs from 44 deliveries at a strike rate of 131.81. His innings included six boundaries and three sixes. Head also added a formidable 96-run partnership with Nitish, who showcased aggressive batting by scoring an unbeaten 76 runs off just 42 balls, which included 8 sixes and 3 fours.

Mohammad Kaif taunts Virat Kohli's strike rate critics after Travis Head's slow knock vs RR

Reddy helped the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) post a total of 201/3 on the board at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Well, despite a valiant batting display by Riyan Parag (77) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (67), the Rajasthan Royals (RR) fell short by just 1 run as the SRH successfully defended the target to jump to the 4th spot in the IPL 2024 points table.

Mohammad Kaif said on Star Sports: “If it was Virat Kohli, I am guaranteeing that people would have said it was slow with only 58 runs in 44 balls. He played so slowly. But I believe this innings was good and very important. When Abhishek Sharma and other batters were out, Travis Head had to change his approach and game.

The pitch was not easy to bat on at the start of the innings, and Ashwin and Boult were bowling well. I think the bowling was also good. So that's why Head had to shift his gears and play a more measured innings. Head batted according to the situation. However, had Virat Kohli shown the same kind of composure and batted like Head, the strike rate issue would have been hogging all the limelight, with the Indian batter getting slammed again.”

Watch Here:

Harsha Bhogle & Others third class experts cooked by Irfan Pathan & Mohammad kaif. 😭😹🤣😂 p<!---->i<!---->c<!---->.<!---->t<!---->w<!---->i<!---->t<!---->t<!---->e<!---->r<!---->.<!---->c<!---->o<!---->m<!---->/<!---->5<!---->K<!---->P<!---->C<!---->q<!---->W<!---->5<!---->b<!---->W<!---->m

— M (@Cricket_fan2602) M<!---->a<!---->y<!----> <!---->3<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4

Notably, Kohli's strike rate has been a major talking point in the ongoing IPL 2024, with commentators like Aakash Chopra, Simon Doull, and Sunil Gavaskar slamming the former Indian skipper for some of his slow knocks for RCB this season.

Despite heavy criticism, Kohli is continuing to show his class with the bat, as he was the first batter to score 500 runs in the ongoing IPL 2024. The RCB star has 500 runs to his name in 10 games so far this season.

The Indian batting superstar will be seen in action on May 4 when the RCB takes on the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Match No. 51 of the ongoing IPL 2024 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.