Virat Kohli in action for RCB in IPL 2024© AFP
Australian and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Glenn Maxwell expressed that his franchise cricket teammate and Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli is the “most clutch player” he has played against and jokingly remarked that he hopes India does not pick him for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, starting in West Indies/USA from June 1 this year. While Maxwell praised Virat, he also said that there should be “heat” or scrutiny on every player in a country as cricket-crazy as India. Virat’s place in T20 cricket is under debate as of late because of his slightly conservative approach, which mixes timely aggression with anchoring, which he still uses during times when batters hit big right from the first ball.
Both Virat and Maxwell are playing for RCB in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. While Maxwell has struggled, scoring just 32 runs in five matches, Virat is at the top of the run-scorer list, scoring 316 runs in five matches at an average of 105.33 and a strike rate of over 146, with a century and two fifties. His best score is 113*.
Speaking on ESPN’s Around The Wicket programme, Maxwell said, “Virat Kohli is the most clutch player I have ever played against. The innings he played against us in Mohali during the 2016 T20 World Cup is still the best innings I have ever seen been played against me. His awareness of what he needs to do to win the game is just phenomenal. I hope India do not pick him because it will be great to not come up against him.”
Maxwell said that such chatter around Virat’s place in T20s is not surprising and though Team India has some phenomenal players, there should be scrutiny on all since Team India is a hard one to break into.
“It is not surprising because there are 1.5 billion and I reckon half of them are unbelievable cricketers in this country (laughs). It is a hard team to get into. You look at India’s top T20 players which are all playing in this tournament. They are phenomenal players and there should be heat on every player,” said Maxwell.
Virat is the highest run-getter in T20I cricket. In 117 matches, he has scored 4,037 runs at an average of 51.75 and a strike rate of over 138, with a century and 37 fifties in 109 innings. His best score is 122*.
Also, Virat is the most decorated batter in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup and is its leading run-scorer. In 27 T20 World Cup matches, Virat has made 1,141 runs at an average of 81.50 and a strike rate of 131.30, with 14 half-centuries in 25 innings. His best score is 89*. He was also the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in 2014 (319 runs in six matches at an average of 106.33 with four fifties) and 2016 (273 runs in five matches at an average of 136.5 with three fifties) editions, in which India finished as runners-up and semifinalists, respectively. He ended as the leading run-scorer in 2014. During the successful run chases in nine innings of the tournament, Virat averages 518, as he has only been dismissed once. Out of these nine innings, seven have been fifties.
In the 2022 edition in Australia, Virat ended as the leading run-getter, with 296 runs in six matches at an average of 98.66 and a strike rate of 136.40, with four fifties. His knock of 82* against Pakistan in a tough run-chase of 160 runs at Melbourne is also considered as one of the best T20I knocks ever played.
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