ndIndian batting great Sunil Gavaskar criticized Virat Kohli for his outburst against cricket experts and commentators who raised concerns about his strike rate ahead of the announcement of India’s squad for the T20 World Cup. Gavaskar, also criticized the broadcaster for repeatedly airing Kohli’s rant clip ‘half a dozen times’.
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Known for his aggressive batting, Virat Kohli wasn’t shy about expressing his frustration with commentators who questioned his scoring speed. He argued that winning matches mattered most, not individual statistics like strike rate. Pointing to his long and successful career, Kohli questioned the right of commentators who haven’t played at the highest level to criticize him.
Here’s what Kohli had to say: “For me, it’s about winning the games for the team…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…”
Sunil Gavaskar, a legendary cricketer himself and a current commentator, wasn’t having any of it. He felt Kohli’s outburst was disrespectful towards former greats who analyze the game. Gavaskar argued that questioning a strike rate of 118, especially after opening the innings, wasn’t a personal attack, but a fair observation.
Gavaskar responded with: “Commentators questioned only when his strike rate was 118… I mean, if you want applause for that, that’s a little bit different.”
Sunil Gavaskar's brutal thrashing of Virat Kohli..
Chokli deserved it for behaving like a sore loser attacking commentators and questioning their cricketing knowledge. This is the reason why Kohli is not respected as much as Dhoni or Sachin pic.twitter.com/i9kZDWTxJb— mvrkguy (@mvrkguy) May 4, 2024
Adding fuel to the fire was Kohli’s claim of not caring about “outside noise,” referring to criticism from commentators and pundits. Gavaskar challenged this by highlighting Kohli’s response itself as proof that he was affected by the criticism. He argued that commentators provided their observations based on experience and what they saw on the field, not personal vendettas.
“All these guys talk about, ‘oh we don’t care about outside noise’… We all played a bit of cricket, not a lot of cricket. We don’t have agendas and speak about what we see,” said Gavaskar.
Gavaskar even criticized the broadcaster, Star Sports, for repeatedly airing Kohli’s rant clip. He felt it undermined their own commentators and suggested they move on as the message was clear.
“I hope Star Sports realises that… questioning the critics, the critics are your own commentators,” said Gavaskar.
This is just the first chapter in this story. Fans are divided, with some siding with Kohli and others with Gavaskar. The IPL season continues, and Kohli’s performance on the field will likely continue to spark discussions and debates.
The post Sunil Gavaskar criticized Virat Kohli for his harsh comments appeared first on Sportzcraazy.
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