Former Indian starter Aakash Chopra is puzzled by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star batsman Virat Kohli who sat out twice in the franchise's last four 2022 IPL matches.
The 33-year-old has seen himself in a decent touch but has so far been unable to play any big shots this season. He was eliminated by five against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), after a mix-up with David Willey. In Bangalore's previous match against Delhi Capitals (DC), Glenn Maxwell sent him back and again caught him near the box with a direct hit.
Kohli hopes to be among the big races again when Bangalore take on the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday 19 April. In a preview of the match, Chopra said on his YouTube channel about Kohli's form:
“Virat Kohli is playing well, but he is running out. He has already exhausted himself twice. You wonder what exactly he is going wrong.”
The former Bangalore captain has so far scored 119 runs in six IPL 2022 matches with an average of 23.80 and a strike rate of 125.26.
Chopra emphasized that the form of the starters is also a concern, as they haven't delivered in a few games now. He pointed:
“Glenn Maxwell played very well in the last game, so that's not a problem at all. But the former are not scoring runs for the RCB. Both Anuj Rawat and Faf du Plessis have only played one good inning each."
While Anuj Rawat has scored 125 runs in six games with an average of 20.83 and a shooting rate of 112.61, captain Faf du Plessis has amassed 154 runs, averaging 25.67 with a shooting rate of 25.67. of 123.20.
“Before, RCB used to wobble after two or three fast wickets” – Aakash Chopra on the DK-Shahbaz impact
Despite being in trouble a couple of times during the current edition of the IPL, RCB have bounced back to win matches in impressive fashion.
Chopra has attributed most of the team's success to the finishing skills of Dinesh Karthik and Shahbaz Ahmed. He stated:
“Dinesh Karthik and Shahbaz Ahmed, they are the game changers. They are the difference between the previous sides and the current one. Previously, RCB used to flounder after two or three quick wickets. Thanks to the Karthik and Shahbaz finishers, the RCB looks much better than in previous seasons.”
