Legendary batter Virat Kohli has not only been consistent in IPL 2026 but has also raised his strike rate as well. In 8 innings so far, Kohli has smashed 351 runs at a strike rate of 162.50. However, in his past IPL seasons, his strike rate has rarely crossed 160. In only two seasons has his strike rate gone above 150 – in 2016 and 2024 as well. Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said that Kohli’s improved strike rate may have something to do with the criticism he has received as well.
“This is, again, going to rile up Virat Kohli fans. We have seen Virat Kohli bat differently, bat superbly this season – at a strike rate of 140-150. This is the same Virat Kohli; there is nothing that has changed,” Manjrekar told Sportstar. “It is only that he has decided that he is going to bat quicker. And why has he decided that? Because he could see the pressure building and people talking about him batting a little too slowly.”
Manjrekar also added that Virat Kohli has been playing with a lot more freedom for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in recent times as well.
“This 150 strike rate was 125-130 three to four years back. It was only because Virat Kohli would hit a boundary and then pick up a one or a two. After all, he wanted to extend his innings and play longer because he felt he had to be the man to bat for most of the innings and didn’t trust the batters down the order. RCB changed when Virat Kohli, at the top, started batting quicker and didn’t make himself indispensable. That is when the others also blossomed,” Manjrekar further added.
Meanwhile, Kohli, along with his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma and DDCA president Rohan Jaitley, inaugurated a West Delhi Cricket Academy Branch on Tuesday as well.
While addressing everyone during the event, the batting stalwart shared his personal journey and experiences as well.
“Thank you for having me. I’m not used to speaking in schools, so this is going to be a bit awkward for me because I moved away from the school setup long ago for cricket, and that’s what I’m going to talk about. I understand the environment of a school. I’ve been through the same process and stage that all you kids are a part of right now. And I can just share from my own experience how my focus and priority changed very early on in my life. What I want to say is, a school is a place where you come to learn, you come to grow, you become better people,” Virat Kohli said.
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