Virat Kohli continued his good form in the ongoing Indian Premier League becoming the first batter this season to score 500 runs during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's dominating win over Gujarat Titans on Sunday. (As It Happened | Scorecard)
Kohli scored a well-composed 70 not out from 44 balls to lay the platform for Will Jacks who then bludgeoned sixes at will to bring up the fifth-fastest IPL century of all time and take RCB home.
After the win, Kohli took on his critics and said that the people talking about his strike rate and issues against spin can talk on their assumptions but it is the players who are in the middle day in and day out.
"All the people who talk about strike-rates and me not playing spin well are the ones talking about this stuff. For me, it's about winning the games for the team and there's a reason why you've done it for 15 years, you've done this day in and day out, you've won games for your teams, I'm not quite sure that if you haven't been in that situation yourself, to sit and talk about the game from the box," Kohli said in the post-match presentation.
"For me, people can talk about their assumptions day in and day out, but those who have done day in and day out, they know what's happening and it's a kind of muscle memory for me now," he carried on.
Kohli has been frequently criticised for his strike rate and especially his inability to score quickly against the spinners in the middle overs. Some of this criticism has also come from the commentary box.
However, on Sunday, Kohli was in his usual sublime touch and took apart not just pacers but also the spinners.
GT strong spin trio of R Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed were all easily handled by the former Indian skipper as he kept RCB in the game while chasing a formidable 201.
Kohli's attack on Noor Ahmed was crucial in the game as it ensured RCB maintained their run rate even as Jacks struggled for fluency when he was new to the crease.
Kohli also hailed Jacks' century as 'phenomenal'.
"Phenomenal, initially when he came to bat, he was annoyed that he wasn't able to strike the ball as he wanted to. The only talk was for him to stay calm. We know how explosive he can be when he gets going. The over from Mohit was the game changer, I was just happy to stay around and watch him go."
