Virat Kohli slammed his 46th IPL half-century in the match against Lucknow Super Giants on April 10 and received criticism from former New Zealand player Simon Doull in the air.
Simon Doull Slams Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli slammed his fifty in 35 deliveries and registered his second fifty of the season. It took Kohli 10 balls to move from 42 to 50 for which Doull felt that Kohli was “concerned about the milestone”.
Opening the inning with Faf du Plessis, the duo scored 96 runs for the 1st wicket. “Kohli started off like a train. He was going hammer and tongs as he was playing a lot of shots. From 42 to 50, he took 10 balls. Concerned about a milestone. I don’t think there’s room for that in this game anymore. Just gotta keep going, especially with wickets in hand at that stage. You got to keep going,” Doull had said on air.
Salman Butt Backs Kohli
Reacting to Doull’s comment, ex-Pakistan captain Salman Butt fumed at the former New Zealand pacer, and deemed his statement as “utter rubbish”.
“When he was in Pakistan, he used similar words for Babar Azam. If he had watched the game consciously, he would’ve noticed that Kohli tried to hit Bishnoi three-four times but he missed. That is part of the game. He has 75 centuries in international cricket. He doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone. It’s utter rubbish. He (Doull) has played cricket, but he was a bowler,” Butt said on his YouTube channel.
Butt suggested Doull to “get a life” as a player like Kohli, who has scored 75 international centuries, doesn’t need to worry about milestones.
“Young players often play like this as getting to milestones might secure their place in the team. Why would Kohli do that? This is RCB we are talking about. He is not fighting for his place in the Indian team. He is a world-class player. Get a life. Get out of this narrow-minded thinking. All the big players like Babar, Virat and Williamson are not power-hitters. They put a value on their wicket. Maybe he’s trying to get attention,” he added.
RCB who won their first match against Mumbai Indians lost the following two matches against KKR and LSG. RCB will now play their next league match against Delhi Capitals on April 15 in M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
