The Strike Rate versus Average debate arrives in India

[MenInG]

So looks like the debate that has been following us in Pakistan is now rearing it's head in India too, thanks to some of the performances in IPL 2023 and also Simon Doull's remarks about Virat Kohli

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It's not just Babar Azam who gets it from Simon Doull "Kohli started off like a train playing a lot of shots. But from 42 to 50 he took 10 balls. Concerned about a milestone. I don’t think there’s room for that anymore. You’ve just got to keep going with wickets in hand" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IPL23</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1645463664890085386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">How come no one pointing out strike rate of David Warner?? He is been playing with low strike for quite sometime now…</p>— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) <a href="https://twitter.com/IrfanPathan/status/1645813058483400708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The highly sought after Orange Cap should be judged with S/R in mind. <br>I believe runs + S/R combined are more valuable/relevant in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/T20?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#T20</a>. <br>This would also include middle order batters who are rarely in contention. <br>What that formula is, I’ll leave to the experts. <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IPL</a></p>— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomMoodyCricket/status/1645799258224984064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Been saying this for ages. No brainer. It’s a comp between 1,2 and possible/rarely number 3 batters</p>— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABdeVilliers17/status/1645876734787743748?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Rana]

So looks like the debate that has been following us in Pakistan is now rearing it's head in India too, thanks to some of the performances in IPL 2023 and also Simon Doull's remarks about Virat Kohli

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It's not just Babar Azam who gets it from Simon Doull "Kohli started off like a train playing a lot of shots. But from 42 to 50 he took 10 balls. Concerned about a milestone. I don’t think there’s room for that anymore. You’ve just got to keep going with wickets in hand" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IPL23</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1645463664890085386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">How come no one pointing out strike rate of David Warner?? He is been playing with low strike for quite sometime now…</p>— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) <a href="https://twitter.com/IrfanPathan/status/1645813058483400708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The highly sought after Orange Cap should be judged with S/R in mind. <br>I believe runs + S/R combined are more valuable/relevant in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/T20?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#T20</a>. <br>This would also include middle order batters who are rarely in contention. <br>What that formula is, I’ll leave to the experts. <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IPL</a></p>— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomMoodyCricket/status/1645799258224984064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Been saying this for ages. No brainer. It’s a comp between 1,2 and possible/rarely number 3 batters</p>— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABdeVilliers17/status/1645876734787743748?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Well done Babar and Rizwan

Your pathetic batting as openers and subsequent T20 rankings has got the entire world asking questions

 

[jnaveen1980]

Warner tries really hard. He is not even 10% of what he was. But he could protect his wicket which is not a hard thing to do. His innings is forgiven due to massive failures around him. But even with wickets falling around these are not good knocks. Axar proved it yesterday. If only he had upped the scoring rate a bit in the end overs they might have won.

 

[Gullycricket]

Well done Babar and Rizwan

Your pathetic batting as openers and subsequent T20 rankings has got the entire world asking questions

Well it's being asked of Kohli too now. Shows that it's ingrained in subcontinent players.

 

[Rana]

Well it's being asked of Kohli too now. Shows that it's ingrained in subcontinent players.

So now Babar and Rizwan will use Kohli as an excuse to justify their batting positions in T20?

 

[Ab Fan]

Yes, this debate is happening after low strike rate performances from batters in IPL in last few days.

RCB scored 212 in their game vs LSG and each of the top 3 scored runs. But that was ultimately not enough and LSG who were 30 odd for 3 still went on to chase down 210+ total.

It makes no sense to look at orange cap winners in IPL. Runs scored should be taken with strike rate in context as well. The strike rates of Kohli, Rohit and Rahul are simply not good in IPL.

Kohli who plays half of its game at Chinnaswamy has SR of 130 which is poor there. Rahul inspite of averaging 47 in IPL has a mediocre SR of 136( for that average the strike rate is low) and his inability to win matches even after scoring that many runs goes against him because of low SR. Rohit's SR is also poor but in his case his IPL average is also not good.

The only Indian players who play aggressive brand of cricket in IPL are Suresh Raina, SKY, Samson, Pant, Yousuf Pathan( during his time).

Dhoni also has the knack of taking deep but in his case, it works because he is just so good with final overs finishes.

 

[Rajdeep]

If this game is all about strike rates, why was Harsha going on and on yesterday about how Rohit Sharma scored his 1st IPL 50 since 2021?

 

[Ahmed216]

In hindsight criticising SRs may look cool but can't blame batsmen too much when bowlers cant defend 200. What if the openers would have gone early trying to go too fast? The game isn't that simple

 

[daytrader]

Salman Butt speaking on his YT channel on Simon Doull's comments:

“When he was in Pakistan, he used similar words for Babar Azam. If he had watched the game consciously, he would have noticed that Kohli tried to hit Bishnoi three-four times, but he missed. That is part of the game. He has 75 centuries in international cricket. He does not have to prove anything to anyone. It is utter rubbish. He (Doull) has played cricket, but he was a bowler,"

 

[Suleiman]

So you have AB De Villiers, one of the best LOI batsmen of all time commenting on this issue, someone who mastered SR and Avg.

Oh man, I really don’t know if I’ll take his opinion or the opinion of some fans of some low SR and inflated avg seriously…

 

[daytrader]

So you have AB De Villiers, one of the best LOI batsmen of all time commenting on this issue, someone who mastered SR and Avg.

Oh man, I really don’t know if I’ll take his opinion or the opinion of some fans of some low SR and inflated avg seriously…

Well his opinion could be biased because he's never won the orange cap. Also I believe the ipl has an MVP award which already accounts for Avg + SR

 

[JattMaula]

Discussion arrived late but finally people are ready to hold slow top order batters accountable.

Its ever more salient now that impact player rule has effectively made it a 12 man batting tournament.

 

[Rana]

So you have AB De Villiers, one of the best LOI batsmen of all time commenting on this issue, someone who mastered SR and Avg.

Oh man, I really don’t know if I’ll take his opinion or the opinion of some fans of some low SR and inflated avg seriously…

AB’s opinion is confused at times

Don’t understand how he rates Babar and Rizwan if this is truly his opinion.

 

[Ab Fan]

AB’s opinion is confused at times

Don’t understand how he rates Babar and Rizwan if this is truly his opinion.

No player will go out and criticise any specific player. They will have a general opinion on certain points but they won't associate it with any specific player.

AB has kept his opinions on averages vs strike rate discussion here but next day if someone asks him to comment on Babar's batting in T20s, he will praise him only.

Doully is a different case, he is commentating for years and as a part of his profession, he can certainly highlight some specific examples to support his argument.

 

[Champ_Pal]

Doull is right. Kohli plays too slow when approaching milestones. He did that many times in the past too while approaching his century which resulted in India only scoring 320 instead of 370.

Milestone chasers must be called out.

 

[RajBan]

Kuchh nahi honewala. Kohli, Rohit they are part of the mafia. KL Rahul is not their new blue eyed boy. They have restricted SKY atleast for 2 years before he was given a chance. They will do the same with other performers. And Stooges like Harsha and Gavaskar will go ga ga as soon as one of them hits a 45 ball 50 in IPL

 

[MenInG]

A few days after former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull had questioned his scoring pace, India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star batter Virat Kohli has given a fitting reply to the critics. During RCB's game against the Lucknow Super Giants earlier this week, Kohli scored a half-century, after scoring at will during the powerplay. However, his strike-rate dropped massively after the field restrictions were removed. Doull, who was on commentary duty, suggested that Kohli was concerned about his milestone.

"Kohli started off like a train. He was going hammer and tongs as he was playing a lot of shots. From 42 to 50, he took 10 balls. Concerned about a milestone. I don't think there's room for that in this game anymore. Just got to keep going, especially with wickets in hand at that stage. You got to keep going," Doull was heard as saying on-air.

Kohli has now opened up about the strike-rate factor in T20s.

"Yeah for sure (important anchor role). I completely agree with that, There are many people who because they have not been in that situation themselves, they look at the game differently," Kohli told former India batter Robin Uthappa on Jio Cinema.

"Suddenly when the powerplay is done, they will be like 'oh, they have started rotating the strike'. When you haven't lost a wicket in the powerplay, usually the best player comes on to bowl, you are trying to figure out what to do against him in the first two overs, so that you can get big ones in the last two overs of that guy and then rest of the innings becomes much easier," he added.

NDTV

 

[MenInG]

And Kohli with 50(34) made some aggressive gestures as if to challenge his critics

<blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="HH3Srrm"><a href="https://imgur.com/HH3Srrm">View post on imgur.com</a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[jnaveen1980]

Kohli by nature is an aggressive batsman. There may be odd occasions he may have slowed down. Overall he is not that type of player. He like to seize certain moments, take a step back during certain moments with or without approaching his 50. In IPl he has very less reasons to be selfish. That guy literally carries the brand value of RCB singlehandedly. It doesn't really matter if he scores 30s or 40s or 50s he will retire as an RCBian.

 

[Rana]

Kohli’s sr and intention is never in doubt at number 3

Perfect number 3 batsman

 

[Ab Fan]

Rahul is the true definition of most selfish batsman.

 

[Ab Fan]

Kohli’s sr and intention is never in doubt at number 3

Perfect number 3 batsman

He hasn't done well at no 3 for RCB. In T20Is, he has been excellent but in IPL, he has been slow compared to the normal standards.

 

[Rana]

He hasn't done well at no 3 for RCB. In T20Is, he has been excellent but in IPL, he has been slow compared to the normal standards.

Yeah but does anyone honestly care at IPL level over India?

 

[Ab Fan]

Yeah but does anyone honestly care at IPL level over India?

When talking about Kohli's international career, this will not be an argument against him. But the average vs S/R debate is happening based on IPL games in last week or so and in that context, Kohli has been slow over the years which is apparent with his IPL career S/R of 129 especially after playing half of those games at Chinnaswamy.

 

[MenInG]

Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli hit half-centuries to set up Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)'s win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. Faf hit 84 off 56 balls, while Kohli registered his 48th half-century, scoring 59 off 47 balls. While the pair added 137 runs for the first wicket in 16 overs, former Australia batter Matthew Hayden was not impressed with their scoring rate. Hayden criticised Faf and Kohli for wasting balls, saying that both players have to trust other batters.

"We can't waste balls; even when one of these two decides to bat till the last five overs, the other has to go; we can't just be strolling around. They will have to trust their long batting lineup. This is where the matrix of the game is largely not recognisable in terms of batting strike rate. It is so fundamental in T20 cricket, especially at the back end," Hayden said on-air.

To further back his claim, Hayden gave the example of CSK captain MS Dhoni, who has been scoring boundaries at will while batting down the order.

"You talk about the impact players in this IPL; the guys have won matches, and sides can never afford to be lured into this false sense of security by batting just securely in partnership. The emphasis will always have to be on scoring quickly. Look at MS Dhoni, who was striking at 400 in one match," he added.

RCB captain Faf is leading the Orange Cap race with 343 runs in six matches, while Kohli is third in the list, having scored 279 runs in as many games.

NDTV

 

[MenInG]

Harbhajan was critical of Warner's strike-rate this season. Though Warner is among the top-scoring batters this season, aggregating 306 runs in 8 matches at an average of 38.5. But, his strike-rate stands at just 118.60.

"Even now, when he comes to presentations, he says about other players' mistakes. But what have you done? You didn't show any intent; you scored 300+ runs but look at your strike rate. Warner hasn't really done justice to his stature this year. His 300 runs are of no use to DC. Warner needs to look in the mirror if he wants to find a reason for DC being at the bottom,"
NDTV

 

[MenInG]

Simon Doull having a go at Rohit Sharma...

"I don't understand the hype around Rohit Sharma's captaincy. He is a good captain but he got the best team. He looked absolutely clueless in last year's IPL and T20 World Cup and the same thing is happening this year,"

 

[Aman]

Doull is right. Kohli plays too slow when approaching milestones. He did that many times in the past too while approaching his century which resulted in India only scoring 320 instead of 370.

Milestone chasers must be called out.

But but Sachin is selfish lol.

Kohli is selfish, the sooner people realize the better. Mans been a passenger for India in all formats for 3-4 years. Only runs he scores are against minnows or teams with mediocre attacks.

 

[volcyz]

Simon Doull having a go at Rohit Sharma...

"I don't understand the hype around Rohit Sharma's captaincy. He is a good captain but he got the best team. He looked absolutely clueless in last year's IPL and T20 World Cup and the same thing is happening this year,"

Gotta fear for Doully now

 

[BouncerGuy]

This World Cup has seen some crazy striking from the batters playing in India. Superb striking

 

[FearlessRoar]

The pitches and wickets India have, I think useful to accelerate both average and strike rate.

 

[OMB]

This is all courtesy of the television.
shorter boundaries and better quality bats and what not.