IPL 2024: “His strike rate this season has been much better than earlier” – Harbhajan Singh lauds Virat Kohli’s knock vs PBKS

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh hailed Virat Kohli after his match-winning knock against Punjab Kings at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala on Thursday. Kohli scored 92 runs off just 42 balls after RCB was put into bat by Sam Curran to help his team post 241 runs on the board.

The talisman scored seven fours and six maximums as he scored his runs at a strike rate of 195.74. Kohli managed 23 off 13 deliveries while facing the spinners scoring at a strike rate of close to 177 whereas he scored 69 off 34 balls against the pacers, striking at more than 200, on Thursday. 

Kohli has amassed 634 runs in 12 matches at an average of 70.44 and a strike rate of 153.51 in the ongoing IPL 2024 and he is the top run-getter of the tournament. 

“He was very lucky. He was dropped on zero and it proved so expensive. If you repeatedly give chances to such a player, he won’t spare you. What a knock it was – 92 runs off 47 balls. He played the T20 format in the true sense today. It was destructive batting,” Harbhajan Singh said on Star Sports.

“He already had the Orange Cap and his strike rate this season has been much better than earlier and today he gladdened our hearts. He showed how the intent can be maintained after the powerplay,” the former India spinner added.

The Turbanator continued to shower praise on Virat Kohli, stating that right-hander manufactured every shot to score all around the ground.

“When you score 92 runs off 47 balls, you go at nearly two runs per ball, which Navjot Sidhu talks about. You need that in this format. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma are at a different level – they are scoring three to four runs per ball, but Kohli played cricketing shots one after the other. He manufactured every shot,” he observed.

“He used his feet because the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat slightly. When the pace reduces, he runs forward, and then he played big shots against spinners while standing in his position. He measured the midwicket area. He took three or four penalty corners (slog sweeps) and hit sixes. It was enjoyable to watch him bat,” Harbhajan elaborated.

RCB will next take on Delhi Capitals at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Sunday.