IPL 2021: ‘Virat Kohli should not be the tickler but the puncher,’ says Sunil Gavaskar

IPL 2021: ‘Virat Kohli should not be the tickler but the puncher,’ says Sunil Gavaskar

Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli’s string of low scores continues in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He got out for 12 runs off 11 deliveries against Delhi Capitals (DC) during match 22 of the tournament. The 32-year old has a solitary half-century to his name in six innings in IPL 2021.

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar mentioned that Kohli has set such high standards for himself that people expect him to score big runs every time he’s at the crease. Gavaskar suggested that the RCB skipper should drive and punch instead of looking to tickle early on in the innings. 

“Yes, he hasn’t fired. He sets such high standards for himself that every time he comes out to bat, people expect a big innings from him, a 50-plus innings from him. I just want to say maybe he should not be the tickler, he should be the puncher.

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“What he tried to do today (on Tuesday) as he tried to tickle the ball for a single, he should be looking to hit the ball in such a way the way he drives, the way he punches it around the extra cover area so that’s exactly what he has to do. He has got to play it straight, he has got to not look to guide the ball to the third man because you want somebody like Virat Kohli to be punching as he does,” Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports.

‘Kohli must keep playing to his strengths’: Gavaskar

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli got out off DC pacer Avesh Khan during the fourth over of the match. His exit came when he tried to play one down to the third man and he could only manage an inside edge that crashed into the stumps.  

Gavaskar added that VK needs to stick to his strengths in order to find consistency in IPL 2021.

“That flick that he played, those are his strengths. He must keep playing to his strengths, he will be backing to getting runs,” he added.

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