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'Bhai strike rate toh dekho' - Fans bash Virat Kohli for his slow innings against Punjab Kings in IPL 2023 encounter

Virat Kohli has been facing a lot of backlash from the fans for his slow strike rate in the game against PBKS.

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Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli (Source: Twitter)

Virat Kohli Virat Kohli (Source: Twitter)

Virat Kohli has returned to lead the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their IPL 2023 match against the Punjab Kings. Faf du Plessis, the RCB's normal captain, will miss the second innings due to a rib injury. However, the South African batted in the first innings, but will be replaced by an impact player in the second.

Faf forged a vital first-wicket partnership with Virat after being asked to bat first. The two scored 137 runs together and helped put RCB in a good position. While the regular skipper played quickly, the stand-in captain played a sluggish knock.

Virat was the first to go, having struck 59 runs in 47 balls, including five boundaries and a six. However, the former Indian skipper has been facing a lot of backlash from the fans for his slow strike rate in the game. He had a strike rate of just over 125 in the innings.

The opening partnership slowed drastically after the 10th over of the game, putting the Royal Challengers in a tight predicament despite not losing a single wicket. Virat was eventually dismissed in the 17th over of the game for a team score of 137.

Du Plessis (84 in 56 balls) also departed soon as Nathan Ellis dismissed him in the 18th over. Apart from these two, nobody could do much for the 2016 finalists. In the end, they managed to get to a total of 174/4 in the first innings. For PBKS, Harpreet Brar took two wickets, while Ardshdeep Singh and Ellis took one each.

Faf potentially can’t be fielding today: Virat Kohli

In the meantime, Virat stated at the toss that Faf will not be fielding for them because of a rib injury. “Faf potentially can’t be fielding today, so he’ll be playing as a impact player, switching with Vyshak. We got to do what we wanted, we would have batted first, the pitch could get slow, some scruff marks will help the bowlers going deep into the game. Taking one game at a time, focussing on our own game, making the most of crunch situations, we haven’t done that so far in the tournament. No other changes for us,” Kohli said at the toss.

Here is how fans trolled Virat for his slow innings

Virat Kohli Royal Challengers Bangalore Faf du Plessis