Former India batsman turned cricket commentator Sunil Gavaskar has made a fresh comment on Virat Kohli, just days after he was embroiled in a controversy over the RCB batsman’s strike rate. In his latest statement, Gavaskar stated that Virat Kohli had a ‘stop-start career’ when he started playing international cricket, but the extra push from MS Dhoni helped him succeed and become the cricketer he is today.
In an interaction with JioCinema, Gavaskar said, “When Virat Kohli started his career, it was a stop-start career. The fact that MS Dhoni gave him that little extra momentum is why he is the Kohli we see today”
Virat Kohli tussle with Sunil Gavaskar:
Notably, Gavaskar, among other commentators, had criticized Virat Kohli for his low strike rate during this season of the IPL. The RCB opener had responded saying that it’s one thing to play in the field and another to sit and speak about the ‘game from a box’.
He said, “I am not quite sure if you’ve been in that situation yourself to sit and speak about the game from a box. I don’t really think it’s the same thing [as playing out there]. So for me, it’s just about doing my job. People can talk about their own ideas and assumptions of the game, but those who have done it day in [and] day out know what’s happening, and it’s kind of a muscle memory for me now.”
Soon after, Gavaskar launched a scathing attack on Kohli, saying that the commentators had also played cricket and were talking about what they saw. Gavaskar also stated that Kohli had a strike rate of 118 despite opening the innings for his team and batting till the 14th or 15th over.
He said, “If you have a strike rate of 118, you come and face the first ball, and then you get out in the 14th or 15th over and your strike rate is 118 – if you want applause for that, then that’s a little bit different,”
“We’ve all played a bit of cricket, not a lot of cricket, but we speak about what we see. We don’t necessarily have any likes and dislikes. Even if we have likes or dislikes, we actually speak about what’s happening. So, I would be very disappointed if Star Sports showed this once more because that would be questioning all of us commentators.” Gavaskar added.
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Published: 18 May 2024, 11:45 AM IST