Virat Kohli gets BELT TREATMENT from Sunil Gavaskar ON AIR; Legend slams Star Sports too for unnecessary PR

Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar responded to Virat Kohli's criticism of commentators questioning his strike rate during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. Sunil Gavaskar questioned why players like Virat Kohli respond to outside criticism if they claim not to listen to it.

Virat Kohli has faced scrutiny for his strike rate outside the powerplay, particularly against spinners, during the tournament. Fans and experts criticized the former RCB skipper, with Sanjay Manjrekar excluding him from his preferred India squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 in June.

After RCB's victory against the Gujarat Titans (GT), Kohli took a dig at his critics for questioning his strike rate. He stated that it's easy to analyze the game from the commentary box without experiencing the situation. Kohli scored an unbeaten 70 off 44 balls, including 61 runs against spin at a strike rate of 179.

You Have A Strike Rate Of 188 - Sunil Gavaskar

During the pre-match show on Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar suggested that applause for a strike rate of 118 in a T20 match might be unwarranted.

"Commentators questioned only when the strike rate was 118. I'm not too sure. I don't watch too many matches, so I don't know what the other commentators have said otherwise. But if you have a strike of 118 and then you get out on the 14th or the 15th with a strike rate of 118, I mean, if you want applause for that, that's a little bit different. That's different," said Gavaskar.

Virat Kohli scored 42 runs off 27 balls with the help of two fours and four sixes during RCB's recent match against GT in Bengaluru on Saturday, May 4. The home team chased down the 148-run target by four wickets with 38 balls to spare, boosting their chances of reaching the playoffs in the IPL 2024.

They Have Shown It Enough Times - Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar criticized broadcasters for repeatedly showing Virat Kohli's post-match interview. He stated that the interview had been shown excessively and called for a change in their broadcasting approach.

"That particular post-game interview has been shown on this channel earlier as well, and right now on this particular program since 6 o'clock, it has been shown probably half a dozen times. I hope that they recognize this, that when that is being shown, the critics are commentators. I think they have shown it enough times, everyone has got the message," added Gavaskar.

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— Dev 🇮🇳 (@time__square) M<!---->a<!---->y<!----> <!---->4<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4

We Don't Have Agendas - Sunil Gavaskar

The 74-year-old questioned why Virat responds to outside noise despite claiming he does not pay attention to it. Gavaskar emphasized that commentators don't necessarily have any likes and dislikes but speak about what is happening.

"When you talk about all these guys talk about, oh we don't care about outside noise, acha. Then why are you replying to any outside noise or whatever it is. We all played a bit of cricket, not a lot of cricket. We don't have agendas. We speak about what we see. We don't necessarily have any likes and dislikes. Even if we have likes and dislikes, we actually speak on what is happening," Gavaskar concluded.

Virat Kohli has had an exceptional season with the bat, amassing 542 runs at an impressive average of 67.75 and a strike rate of 148.09. He has hit four half-centuries and a century. However, the Faf du Plessis-led side is in the seventh spot in the table, having secured only four wins in 11 matches.

Read More: IPL 2024 Points Table